


The attending and the resident

by Lise_fangirl



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Arizona and April might still be in this, F/M, How not to hide a relationship, Merluca - Freeform, lots of fluff, maggie ships it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2020-01-12 11:07:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 37,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18445310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise_fangirl/pseuds/Lise_fangirl
Summary: Starts somewhere around 15x14.Meredith and Andrew are very much in love with each other but try to keep it a secret to the world.





	1. Chapter 1

It has been a week or 2 since their ‘date’ on the roof, as Andrew liked to call it. They hadn’t seen each other that much because both their schedules were busy as hell. But Andrew hadn’t been off her mind. All she could think about was him. When she woke up in the morning, when she was eating, showering, you name it. She felt like a teenager again who had a crush on the popular guy in school. Except that she wasn’t a teenager, she was an attending and Andrew a resident. So she was in control about this situation right now.

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She was on her way to her patient on which she would be performing a cholecystectomy on later today. He came in the ER yesterday afternoon complaining about severe pain in his abdomen. The CT-scan showed some trouble around his gallbladder, so she was going to take a look at that. Just as she turned the corner, she bumped into something. Something hard, yet familiar.

“Oh! Sorry!” she said, not looking at the figure and trying to get past him so she could move on with her day.

A firm grip on her arm stopped her from moving. She wanted to throw some very bad words at this person but as soon as she turned around and saw who it really was, her body softened.

“Oh, it’s you.” She said, smiling shyly.

“Yes, it’s me. You look like you’re in a hurry. Everything okay?” Andrew asked stepping closer to Meredith.

“Yeah, no I’m fine. I was just lost in my thoughts I guess.” She noticed how Andrew starting closing the distance between them, and as much as she wanted to give in, she couldn’t. They had rules.

“Was I in your thoughts too?” he asked, wanting to brush his thumb over her cheek but she smacked it away playfully.

“Andrew, we have rules remember.” She said, trying to keep a stern tone but the look on Andrew’s face made her frown go away immediately. He knew she couldn’t be mad at him. And his head tilt sure didn’t help either.

“I’ll see you later.” She said, pressing her hand to his chest before turning around and walking away, swaying her hips a little extra, knowing it would reward her later.

“You didn’t answer my question!” he yelled after her. She didn’t answer but instead used her free hand to lay her hair over her shoulder in a kind of erotic way. She could hear a faint, low grumble before she entered her patients room.

“This lady is going to be the death of me.” Andrew thought to himself. He had been living on a rush of high these past few days. That kiss with Meredith had set him on fire, it had unlocked a whole new level of feelings for her. He wants to be with her whenever he could, he wants to talk with her for hours, he wants everything with her. But he knew he had to be patient right now and not push her, because this was important for her. He knows Meredith needs time, and he know she will come to him whenever she feels ready. So for now, he is happy and content with all the secret and sneaky touching they have going on in public.

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Andrew had spent the better part of the day in the corner of the cafeteria, trying to keep up with his studying for his exams. They would be coming soon and he wanted to be prepared for them and not stressing about the fact that he maybe would have started too late. He wanted to pass them really bad, he felt like he had to show everyone in this hospital that the work and time they put in him would be worth it. He was so absorbed by his books that he had lost track of time, and he was now sitting alone in a creepy, dark cafeteria which he didn’t even notice. But he didn’t have to be anywhere tonight, and he knew that Meredith was still operating on an emergency case that had come in right before the end of her shift. He didn’t know much about what the case was, but if Meredith wanted to do it herself even after her shift was over, that meant that something serious had happened. He admires her for that, she always wants best for anyone that comes in this hospital. And she knew that her kids were fine with Maggie at home, so she had that covered too. He wanted to wait for her until she was finished because they hadn’t really seen each other that much lately and he was hoping he could at least give her a proper goodbye today. It was a quiet evening at Grey Sloan, nothing major was happening so he hoped he could at least walk her to her car or something, anything to give them a chance at conversation.

Meredith let out a deep sigh she had been holding throughout the surgery as she threw her gloves in the garbage bin. She knew as soon as she saw her patient coming in that it would be very hard to save him. He had fallen off his ladder trying to change a broken lamp. The fall had broken one of his ribs which was now stabbing his bowel. She had to open him up and fix his bowel which was very damaged by the rib stabbing it each time he inhaled. She had cursed internally at some points when her patient decided to code from time to time because his body went into shock, but eventually managed to save him and close all the holes and secure the rib.

“Is there something else I can do for you, Dr. Grey?” Helm asked, trying to hold back a yawn and exhaustion written all over her face.

“No, thank you Helm. Go home and get some rest. You did good today.” Meredith said giving her a reassuring smile.

Helm liked working on Dr. Grey’s serving lately. She was being a lot more kind and generous during surgeries, as in letting her help with certain procedures. Her service now started with a ‘goodmorning’ instead of immediately receiving a list with all the tasks she had to do that day. She didn’t mind though, she likes this Meredith Grey. And whatever is causing this, she’s very thankful for it.

 _“Just finished surgery. On my way home right now. x”_ Meredith sent to Maggie, letting her know she would be home soon. She didn’t have to do it, Maggie had told her a thousand times that she would look after her three cousins until Meredith was home but it kind of was a habit to Meredith. She just liked to keep her sister updated, because technically she was babysitting her children.

 _“Alright, see you in a bit. They are all fast asleep already :)”_ She was so thankful for her sisters. She just had to say the word and they would be there for her, always. She loved how she could rely on them. Now that she knew her kids were okay, her mind quickly took her to the other person that she very much liked. She hadn’t heard from him, normally he would stalk her with texts in the evening. Sometimes they were just about random stuff or about how his day went and how much he had missed her, but sometimes they were a little extra. He would send her texts that made her swallow hard by reading them. That made her feel special, that she was cared for. But she didn’t receive any of them tonight.

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She was on her way to the attending’s lounge to grab her stuff and head home while typing a text to Andrew. _“Surgery is over, took way longer than expected but it’s all fine now. Finally going home now, I’m exhausted. Goodnight”_ She was about to hit send as she walked past the cafeteria and something pulled her attention. It was dark in there, except for one table in the back. The sight gave her the creeps, this was something you see in horror movies. She wanted to get away as fast as possible, but something stopped her from running. She squeezed her eyes, trying to make something out of the silhouette she was seeing. Papers were all over the table and she heard a soft sigh out of the figure. It was definitely a man, looking at the broad shoulders. He had beautiful black hair and it was when he threw his head back in frustration followed by a growl that she recognized him. It was her sexy Italian resident. She decided to sneak up on him, not really wanting to startle him but she wanted to do something. She made sure no one was around before sliding her arms around his neck.

Andrew’s head was in his hands while he was rambling something.

“Cerebrospinal fluid is the fluid that surrounds your spinal cord and…- Damn it!” He growled. He was getting so tired of this, he had been studying for quite a lot of hours and he started to feel heavy in his head.

“And the brain.” A voice whispered in his ear. He felt two arms slipping around his neck and he shivered feeling the warm breath against his skin. He turned his head and looked in the beautiful blue, soft eyes of Meredith Grey.

“Hey you!” he said, the heavy feeling in his head going away immediately. “How was surgery?”

Meredith started explaining as she pulled the chair beside him, sliding it closer to him before sitting down. He looked at her like a puppy looked at a bone. He was so fascinated by how she could be so swallowed up by her surgeries and how she told about them, making sure to not leave out any details.

“So in the end it took us 2 more hours than expected but it’s okay now. What are you still doing here by the way? Your shift ended like 4 hours ago?” she asked, suddenly looking a little concerned.

“My shift was coming to an end and I asked Dr. Webber if I could come here to study for my boards and I kinda lost track of time. Then I heard about your delayed surgery so I decided to wait until you were ready. Being a good boyfriend and all, you know.” He said, quirking his eyebrow. He had Meredith chuckling now.

“Oh, boyfriend right? That’s what you’re calling yourself right now?” she smiled, rolling her eyes playfully.

“I don’t know, I think it sounds good.” He defended himself, holding his hands in the air and suddenly sounding a bit unsecure. He might have overstepped a line here.

“Grab your stuff then, _boyfriend_. I need to get home and sleep, and you look like you’ve studied enough for today.” She said, standing up and letting her hand ghost over his leg while doing so. She started to walk out of the cafeteria, leaving a perplexed Andrew behind.

“Hey! Wait for me!” he called out, quickly gathering all his papers before running after a giggling Meredith.

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When Meredith closed her front door, she didn’t see Maggie anywhere. She would probably have gone to bed already, because she happened to be held back at the hospital. Not that she minded, she loved spending every free minute she had with Andrew. She started laughing at the memory of him calling him her boyfriend, and the look on his face when he immediately regretted it. He was right, it didn’t sound too bad. Because if he wasn’t her boyfriend, then what was he? They had been seeing each other for almost three weeks now and she wasn’t going to let him go anytime soon. So when she finally was in bed, she sent him one last text.

 _“Goodnight, boyfriend. x Mer”_ She was so tired that she had almost drift off to sleep when her phone buzzed on her nightstand. She smiled when she saw his name on the screen.

 _“Sweet dreams, girlfriend. x your resident”_ And there he was again, making her feel flustered all the way. Damn that stupid Italian guy…


	2. Chapter 2

It was a few days later when it had finally happened. Andrew had scrubbed in on a tricky surgery with Meredith, one with a lot of complications. Their patient was an elderly woman, so her body wasn’t coping well at one point during surgery. Meredith had sent a text to Amelia earlier to let her know that she was going to be home in the middle of the night, maybe even tomorrow morning. Amelia secured her that she would take care of her cousins so Meredith didn’t had to worry about who would put them to bed or get them up in the morning. She was hoping she would be able to do it herself, but sometimes things were out of her control, like tonight.

They finished surgery at 12:30AM, after resuscitating the woman two more times and finally got to keep her conscious. The lady had no family and was all on her own for her recovery now. Andrew was so affected by it that he promised her to bring her some chocolate eggs for Easter tomorrow. When he told Meredith, her insides swelled with this warm, loving feeling. The man she was dating could sometimes boldly say it like it is, to patients or to his colleagues, as he liked to be very clear in his communication. But most of the time he was just this sweet, caring doctor for his patients and he would do everything in his power to save someone or make them smile when they were going through a rough path in life. Meredith almost felt honored that she could see all this happening from first row, and that made her fall for the resident more and more every day.

So when they were walking towards the parking lot together, with a decent amount of space between the two of them of course, he heard her stifle a yawn.

“Mer, that’s like the 7th time you yawned in 5 minutes. Are you sure you can drive home like this?” he asked, wanting to put his arm around her shoulder, but stopped in his tracks when a few nurses ran past them.

“It’s okay, Andrew. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She said, opening her eyes as wide as she could when she looked at him. He decided to let it go and shrugged his shoulders. He knew she could get a _little_ cranky sometimes when she was tired. He had learn that by now. They continued their walk in peaceful silence when they finally reached Meredith’s car. She was struggling to get her car keys out of her purse and when she almost stumbled over her own feet, Andrew had had enough.

“No, this is not happening. Give me your keys, I’m driving you home. I’ll collect my motorcycle later.” He said sternly, grabbing the keys from her hand before pulling her over to the passenger’s seat. She didn’t even resist because she secretly liked it how he was this caring for her. She was always taking care of everyone and for once someone took care of her, so she wasn’t going to fight him. She knew she had no chance of winning this anyway. She threw her head back at the car seat, letting out a deep sigh. But as soon as Andrew got in the car, the thing was filled with the scent of his deodorant. And oh boy, did he smell _good_. Andrew noticed how she was taking a deep breath, followed by a soft moan of satisfaction. “You smell very good, Dr. Deluca.” She could hear his breath hitch.

All his senses were suddenly very alert. Her moan and her calling him Dr. Deluca all of a sudden made him feel kind of aroused. It had been a very long time since he had had, you know… and Meredith looked so hot during that surgery when she was focusing so hard. And the past few weeks had been nothing but teasing and flirting, receiving only a decent make-out session when he got lucky. So yes, he was getting aroused kinda easy lately. He swallowed hard before trying to form an answer that would fit in this situation. Before he managed to answer though, she bended over to him a little, resting her hand just above his knee.

“You know, I’m actually not that tired anymore…” she whispered seductively, inching her hand a little bit higher. Andrew looked down at how her hand gradually came more upwards, and tried not to give into her this easy.

“It’s been a long day, Dr.Grey. I think you need some sleep.” He liked pretending that he didn’t have a clue on what she was insisting on, but he did off course. She probably knew too, but she let him. He was now looking straight ahead, clenching his teeth when Meredith’s hand travelled even higher. It was when he felt her fumbling with his belt that he decided to take this to somewhere else, somewhere safer.

“My place is actually on the route to your house…” he said, voice now low and keen. He turned his head and finally looked at Meredith. Her eyes were dark with lust, and she had this cute smirk on her face. The kind of smirk that tells him she’s longing for something, longing for something of him.

“That’s the best thing you’ve said all day.” She rapidly said before crashing her lips on his, catching him a little off guard. When he readjusts himself he couldn’t resist kissing her back as hard as she was kissing him. He could only hope that no one would see them like this, because then their secret would be screwed. Things were starting to getting heated in there, and Andrew felt that he wouldn’t be able to contain himself much longer. If they were doing it, he wanted to make it good for her, he wanted to make her feel special, and having sex in a car was certainly not special. Meredith though didn’t really seem to mind as she starting opening the buttons of his shirt. Very much to his dismay, he grabbed her hands to stop her.

“Mer” he sighed, feeling her eyes burn on his chest even though he stopped her from continuing. She pushed her forehead under his chin and let out a deep breath.

“Take me to your place.” She said, placing a kiss on his chest before closing one of the buttons again. Andrew winked while nodding at her. He started the car and cleared his throat. “Yes, ma’am.”

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Like a real gentleman, he got out the car and walked over to her side, opening the door for her. “Thank you, mister.” She smiled before offering him her hand. He took it gratefully and placed a kiss on the top of her hand.

“This looks nice.” Meredith said as they walked to the front door. Andrew happily hummed while trying to get his keys out of his pocket. He tried putting the keys in the lock but with Meredith all over him again that suddenly seemed like an impossible task. She was pressing kisses right below his ear, which was one of his sweet spots and gave him goosebumps all over. When the door opened he quickly pulled Meredith and smacked the door close. He pushed Meredith against it and started kissing her roughly, immediately earning a moan out of her. Her hands were wildly roaming through his hair, pulling it whenever Andrew playfully bit her lower lip.

Meredith’s fingers found their way to Andrew’s buttons and started opening them but she was once again stopped in her tracks by him. She was going to kill this guy if he would keep interrupting her. She groaned and looked him in the eyes, annoyed frown making him obvious that she wanted to continue. Now. He pulled her towards the coach and gently let her sit down in it.

“I’ll be right back, just give me one second.”

She rolled her eyes playfully, watching how he disappeared in what seems to be his bedroom. She tried getting a glimpse of it but he was too fast with closing it. She took off her coat and put it next to her. She allowed herself to take in everything in his house. It was so very him. His living room with a cute sofa, a fluffy blanket neatly folded over the back. Oh how she would love to snuggle up to him under that blanket on a cold, rainy day with hot chocolates and some cheesy movies. His little desk in the corner with a laptop and a pile of books which must be his study books. On the wall was a beautiful painting from a big plaza which she supposed to be somewhere in Italy. The cute little dining table in front of his kitchen. It wasn’t too big, but she knew Andrew didn’t need much to make a delicious meal. In the back were two more doors which probably lead to his bedroom and the bathroom. He had some plants and decorations which gave the room just a real domestic feeling. She loved this place. It made her feel all warm inside, remembering herself how lucky she should call herself to get to date a man like this. He was so loving and caring and his place just breathed those things.

Andrew came out of his room again and saw Meredith taking in everything she was seeing. He spotted some candles on his coffee table. He grabbed the lighter and walked over to lit the candles, all the while feeling Meredith’s eyes burning on him. He sat down next to her and tried to turn her a little so her back was facing him. He carefully placed her hair over her shoulder and pressed his lips to her neck. He started massaging her shoulders and watched for any indication he’d crossed the line. She tilted her head a little to the side and let out a soft moan when he started applying more pressure.  

“This is so nice, how are you so good at this?” she mumbled.

“Natural talent, I guess.” He laughed.

“Oh, right there!” Meredith yelped and Andrew pressed his thumb a little harder on the spot. He could feel a little stiffness from her muscles there, so he started concentrating on that area while earning louder and louder moans from Meredith. Andrew started to get really turned on again by all of this moaning and started pressing kisses to her shoulders in between massaging. He pulled a little on the shirt she was wearing and admired her now exposed, beautiful skin there. He bent down and pressed another kiss to it, now slightly sucking on it too. Meredith flipped her head towards him and pulled her eyebrow. She saw Andrew getting an anxious look in his eyes as if he was afraid he had done something wrong. So she stood up and pulled him up with her.

“Lead the way.” She said, giving his hand a slight squeeze and nodding her head reassuringly.

He opened the door to his bedroom and let her go in first but still holding her hand. The candles he had set up were doing a great job lighting the room. The thought of having their first time here made his chest feel tight.

“This is beautiful, Andrew. Thank you for doing this.” She smiled and leaned in to finally finish what they had started an hour ago. When the kissing turned sloppy and wet, Andrew pulled Meredith towards his bed. He sat down first and pulled her to him so she was straddling his lap. He grabbed a piece of loose hair with his fingers and tucked it behind her ear again. She leaned in again and let one of her hands play with his hair while the other roamed his back. Andrew put one of his hands in her neck so he could press his lips even harder to hers and his other hand rested on her hips. As the kiss continued, Meredith could feel him getting harder. She had to admit she was feeling the same way though because she also needed more than just the kissing this time.

“Andrew, cut the crap, I want to feel _this. Tonight._ ” She grumbled and pressed her hand to his crotch. Andrew hissed and nodded quickly, turning them around so Meredith was now with her back on the bed and Andrew hovered over her. Clothes started to be thrown off and landed on the ground. Both of them were left in their underwear, but Meredith still found that she was too dressed. She looked at Andrew and he read her mind, taking her bra off with one swift movement. It was what Meredith wanted, but she still felt suddenly exposed and put her arm over her breasts. Andrew smiled and put it back where it was.

“Don’t cover yourself up, Mer. You’re so beautiful.” He said and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. Her cheeks starting getting a little flustered and he loved the impact he was having on her.

“You are not so bad yourself actually.” She chuckled, letting her hand roam over his broad torso. Her other hand joined and travelled more downwards. It reached the band of Andrew’s underwear. She looked at him with a mischievous smirk and let her thumb go under the waistband. Andrew closed his eyes and she could she him swallowing hard. She stuck her thumb in there a little further and pulled back when he rolled his hips down on her. He pressed her arms down with his hands and started kissing the skin around her breasts, teasing her by not giving them the attention she wanted them go get.

“ _Andrew_.” She hissed, arching her back when he licked the space between her breasts. He looked at her and started caressing one of her nipples with his fingers while he covered the other one with his mouth. Meredith let out a loud cry and threw her head back. Andrew kept looking at her while doing so. This is what he needed, what they both needed. When Meredith regained her self-control she reached down and cupped his now very hard member.

“ _I want to feel it, Andrew. Please._ ” Her begging almost made him go over the edge already, so he quickly obliged and took of his shorts first, before removing her panties.

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Meredith jolted awake and quickly grabbed her phone from the night stand to check the hour. 6:30AM. She could make it home in time to make breakfast for her kids herself. But Andrew was sleeping next to her, and when she looked at him she didn’t want to leave him. He was so peacefully sleeping, a remaining smile on his lips. She felt herself getting flustered again when she thought back to a few hours ago. He had been so good to her, and boy he sure knew how to please a woman. When he sent her over the edge she was seeing stars, he was that good. The look on his face a few moments later when he came had made her horny all over again. He came hard, and needed a minute to come back to earth. Afterwards they just cuddled and shared some sweet kisses before falling asleep, Meredith in his arms off course. She rolled over and saw how wild his hair was. It would need a whole lot of wax to get in back in to its original shape. She bended over slowly and pecked his lips. Andrew stirred a bit and opened his eyes.

“Hey.” He whispered, smiling.

“Hey.” Meredith answered, pressing another kiss to his lips.

“You’re leaving?” Andrew asked, pouting his lip.

“I have to. If I leave now I will be right on time to make the kids breakfast and bring them to school and daycare myself.” She explained. She didn’t know if Andrew heard all of it because he was trying his hardest to keep his eyes open but stroked her cheek.

“That’s okay. I’m going to miss you though. Who’s going to keep me warm now?”

“I promise I will next time. Thank you for yesterday, I really liked it.”

He grabbed her arm and pulled so she was straddling his chest and started laughing.

“One more kiss and then you may leave.” He smirked. Meredith rolled her eyes but did as she was told. She kissed him a few more times before getting up and getting dressed. She fell asleep with no clothes on so she could feel Andrew’s eyes burning on her back when she put on her panties and her bra.

“I can’t say it enough Mer. You really are absolutely beautiful.” He said when he realized she caught him staring.

“You made me feel comfortable last night.” She said before closing the last button of her shirt. Andrew sprung out of bed and quickly grabbed a robe to put around him so he would not freeze to death. He handed Meredith her coat and her purse before leading her to his front door.

“See you later!” she whispered.

“Alligator!” he chuckled and kissed her one last time before letting her get out the door and on her way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New update! I hope this chapter isn't too bad because I had literally no idea on how to start their 'moment'


	3. Chapter 3

When Andrew arrived at work a couple hours later he saw Meredith’s car parked at its usual spot. He figured she might be a little tired because of the lack of sleep thanks to him, so she probably might enjoy a coffee now. There was no line at the coffee stall so he hurried and made his order. He started making small talk with the man from the coffee table while waiting for his coffee. The scent started filling his nose and made him feel more awake already. He had to admit that he was a little tired himself. But he didn’t mind at all, not when it’s a good thing that had kept him up half of the night.  
“Have a good day, Dr. Deluca!” the man said while handing Andrew his two cups. “And say hi to Dr. Grey for me.” Andrew froze and stared at the man with his mouth open. When he started laughing, Andrew came back to earth and breathed again. “Uh, I will. Bye!” he rapidly said before taking off. Shit. Had they been lacking their ‘rules?’ He _had_ to tell Meredith. _Now_.

Meredith was looking at the surgery board when a tall figure showed up next to her. She wanted to greet him but as she turned and looked at him, she stopped.

“Andrew, what’s wrong?” she said, getting worried herself. He looked like he had seen a ghost or something. He motioned for her to follow her to an on-call room. She wanted to remind him of their rules but since his worry looks so genuine she decides to just follow him. He puts the cups down on the little table next to the bed and started rambling immediately.

“So I went to get us coffee and when they were ready the man wished me a good day and he said that I had to say hello to you for him but I don’t understand how he knows and I know we haven’t talked about going public so I really don’t get how he-” Meredith put her finger on his lips to try and shut him up.

“Hey, calm down. Come sit.” She slipped her hand in his and pulled him with her to sit on the bed. He let out a deep sigh when he sat down. She let her hand rest on his upper leg, making small circles there with her thumb and waited for him to calm down a little.

“I’m so sorry Mer, I have no clue how he could possibly know.” He said running his hand through his hair. “I really want this to work out because I really like you and I’m already letting you down.” He turned his head the other way, not finding the courage to look Meredith in her eyes.

“Andrew, that’s not true. Don’t be so hard on yourself. We don’t know if he knows, maybe he was just being friendly.” He still wasn’t looking at her. She thought it was kinda cute how he was acting so guilty and unsure, but she didn’t like seeing him like this for too long. She put her hand in his neck and he finally turned his head again. He was still trying to look away, feeling deeply ashamed suddenly for no reason, but Meredith’s gaze was too strong for him not to give in and look at her.

“I want this to work out too, because believe me, I _really_ like you too. So I was planning on informing Alex and HR on our relationship. Just so we can both be a little more relaxed when we’re around each other at work and don’t have to be scared to get caught.” She grins when she sees Andrew’s eyes grow wider and his usual smirk is reappearing on his face. “And because I want to steal kisses in the hallways…” she chuckles at his sheepishly face.

“Oh, Mer… Can I just break the rules once and kiss you?” he pleads. She didn’t even get a chance to answer when she already felt his lips on hers. She would have stopped him in any other circumstances, but she kisses him back this time. It was a short kiss because worries or not they were still at work, but she could tell all the feelings he put into it.

“I hope you’re feeling better now?” she asks but his face is giving away the answer.

“Very. Thank you, Mer.” He pecks her lips before getting up and grabbing one of the cups on the table stand.

“I hope it’s not too cold yet.” he smiles while handing her the cup. She takes a sip and shakes her head. “It’s perfect.”

“I’m going to start working, I guess.” He bends down and presses a kiss to her lips one more time before stepping away and opening the door. “I’ll see you around, _Dr. Grey.!”_ With that, he smacks the door close and leaves a flustered Meredith behind. She shakes her head laughing and walks out the room while sipping on her coffee some more.

Andrew had been very busy all day long because of a few traumas that came in and he was covering the pitch today with Dr. Hunt. He only got to see Meredith a few times when she was paged to help on an incoming case. They shared some smiles and he even managed to wink at her twice without anyone noticing, seeing the slightest blush appearing on her cheeks which made him feel really good.

“Hey Andrew!” Andrew perked his head up from the charts he was filling in to see Helm waving him over. “Do you want to join us for lunch?”

“Sure!” he hurried over to Helm, Qadri and Casey. He hadn’t had a decent meal today and his stomach was starting to ache really bad.

“I heard there are blueberry cupcakes today!” Helm squealed excitedly.

“Aw, no… I hate blueberries!” Qadri sighs.

“Hey, where’s Schmitt?” Andrew said, realizing he was missing one of the surgeons from the Bteam.

“He scrubbed in on a surgery with his boyfriend. They won’t be finished anytime soon so he said we had to spare one of the cupcakes.” Helm explains.

Andrew was happy for Levi and Nico. Everybody knew about their relationship by now and they could do whatever the hell they wanted. They could kiss each other goodmorning when they arrived to work and they didn’t have to do sneaky stuff. Of course there were some things that they still tried to do as sneaky as possible, like ‘taking a nap’ in the same on-call room at the same time, but most of the time they could say and do what they want. They can go on dates together, they can tell other people about each other, they can tease each other at work, … Andrew wanted that too. He wants to have lunch with Meredith, he wants to take her out for dates and wants everyone to see how happy she makes him, and how good he is for her. He wants it all, he wants the whole package. So when Meredith told him this morning that she was going to tell Alex, he knew that she wanted all of that too. When he saw the pile of cupcakes on the counter, he grabbed two and excused himself from the scene.

 _‘Where are you? I have something for you.’_ He texted as he was strolling down the hallways, trying to find her himself. His phone vibrated not long after he had hit send, as if Meredith expected him to text her.

 _‘I’m in the lab. You’re making me curious!’_ he read. He smiled to himself and turned around to go to the lab.

“What are you smiling about?” Amelia asked when he walked past her.

“Uh, my friend just sent me a funny image.” He lied. Amelia pulled her eyebrow, noticing the two cupcakes he was holding but decided not to dig deeper now. She would find out anyway.

Andrew quickened his pace and turned the last corner to the lab. He saw Jackson talking to Maggie right next to the lab.

“Damn it…” he whispered, scanning the hallway for a solution. Just as he was about to hide behind the nurses station, Maggie and Jackson walked away in the other direction. He tiptoed behind them to the door and opened it slowly. Meredith sat with her back to him, and apparently she hadn’t heard him because she kept writing. He crept up behind her and put on of the cupcakes in her face making her startle a little, bumping her head against his shoulder.

“Are those…”

“Blueberries, yes.” Andrew grinned. Instead of taking the cupcake out of his hand, she bent forward and took a bite out if it while Andrew was still holding it. She wasn’t _just_ biting it, she seemed to do it in slow-motion and in a sensual way. She threw her head back a little so she was now facing him and licked her lips teasingly.

“Delicious.” She mouthed.

“You’re such a tease.” Andrew groaned before pecking her lips that tasted like the cupcake. His tongue grazed over her bottom lip while doing so, just to continue what she started. She smiled when she realized, putting her hand on his chest and pushing him away softly.

“Let’s not do this here.” She grinned when she saw Andrew’s face of disappointment. She reached for the chair next to her and pulled it closer.

“Sit.” She said while patting her hand on it. Andrew willingly sat down next to her and started humming happily while eating his cupcake.

“What are you working on?” he asked, seeing all the papers scattered on the table.

“I was-” She burst out with laughter all of a sudden, receiving a confusing look from Andrew.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, starting to get a little annoyed because she wouldn’t tell him what was going on. He looked down at his scrubs to see if he had spilled some of the blueberries but he didn’t.

“It’s funny how you’re almost 30 years old but still manage to get your face dirty while eating a cupcake.” She smiled. “Even Bailey makes less of a mess…” she smirks, already expecting him to do something. He smacked her leg playfully.

“Not funny.” He rolled his eyes, trying to hide the smile on his face but totally failed.

“Let me help you.” Meredith said already scooting closer and bringing her finger to the little bit of blueberry on his chin. Andrew watched how she wiped it off with her finger, brought it to her mouth and sucked it off while looking him dead in the eye. She chuckled when she saw him staring at her with his mouth open.

“Close your mouth before you start drooling.” She laughed.

“You want me to respect your rules but you’re also making me break them.”

“Our rules. And I’m not doing anything, I’m as innocent as can be.” She grinned, throwing her hands in the air.

Andrew glances at the door to make sure no one is watching before grabbing Meredith’s face in her hands and kissing her longingly. She doesn’t even try to stop him but kisses him back as hard as he is. The taste of blueberry cupcakes is shared between the two of them and their lips are getting a little sticky but that isn’t stopping them yet. The sneakiness kind of reveals a new part of Meredith. A part she didn’t know about but she enjoyed it nonetheless. After a couple more kisses, Andrew broke the kiss and stroked Meredith’s cheek with his thumb.

“You’re so cute when you’re flustered.” He whispers with his typical smirk appearing on his face.

“Stop! I’m not flustered!” she fights back, putting her hands in her sides.

Andrew’s pager started going off, reminding him that lunch was over and so was his rendezvous with Meredith.

“Gotta go, its Hunt.” he sighed. Meredith nodded even though she didn’t want him to leave already.

“Bye my sweet little tomato head!” he chuckled, caressing her reddened cheek once more before quickly heading out the door before he would get scolded by Hunt for not reacting to his page.

This was the second time Andrew had left her feeling flustered in one day, he was winning this game but she wasn’t going to let him. Two could play this game.


	4. Chapter 4

Meredith was set on their little competition. She wanted to win this, whatever it takes. She’s just gotta figure out how to make Andrew start to blush. She has studied 3 years of Italian in university and she still was kind of fluent but during the 3 years she never really learned any _sensual_ words. So that’s how she spent her night yesterday. The kids were all in bed and so was she, laptop on her lap, next to it a bowl of chips and a glass of wine on her side table. She spent a few hours refreshing her Italian but also learning a bunch of new words that were going to help her winning this battle. She watched some videos for the correct pronunciation, and the thought that Andrew might be saying those words to her turned her on a little. Her mind was playing all kinds of scenes the words could make happen. So when she felt her whole face start to redden with arousal, she closed the laptop and put it aside quickly, containing herself to not send Andrew a text with a hint of what she had been doing. She wanted to see his reaction when she was going to say some dirty things to him in his native language. 

So when she woke up the next morning, she woke up with a feeling. A nice feeling, one that warmed her whole body in less than a second. Meredith wanted to see what she could do to the hotshot Italian guy. How he would react to certain things. And she couldn’t wait to hear him grumble in Italian when she would tease him to the point of insanity.

She just arrived at the Hospital’s parking lot after dropping Zola and Bailey off at school. Ellis stayed home with Tanya today. Andrew’s motorbike was nowhere to be found, so that gave her a great start to her plan for today. She got out the car and carried her coat over her favorite pink coat over her arm because it would probably be a little chilly tonight when she finished her shift.

“Goodmorning!” she waved over at the nurses station where Amelia seemed to be in deep conversation with Link. She didn’t get any response but a wave from them. She wasn’t too bothered about it because she had to keep it low key right now. She was about to sneak in the room of the residents and interns. She turned a few corners and tried her best to avoid eye contact with anyone. When she finally saw the residents’ room, flashbacks got in her head. A few years ago she was just a resident too, spending most of her time at the hospital causing trouble with Cristina. She missed her so much sometimes. Alex was her person here now, but Cristina will always remain her first. They shared so many moments together, been through so much, and now she hadn’t even told her about Andrew. She made a note in her head to make a call to Switzerland sometime soon.

She was thrown out of her daydream by a closing door. Qadri came out of the room and was about to walk in Meredith’s direction, so she quickly ran inside an open storage. When Qadri walked by and luckily didn’t notice, Meredith waiting another minute to make sure she wouldn’t come back and see her. She noticed that her heart was now racing because she was about to do something she normally never did. She felt like a teenager again, doing things against the rules and angsty to be caught. When the coast was finally clear, she slipped into the locker room and searched for Andrew’s locker. She found it rather quickly much to her delight and she opened her purse and pulled out a small white paper. It was a little note she wrote last night after her ‘studies’. On top of it it said “Don’t open until Friday night ;)” She doubted for like 5 straight minutes last night whether to put that wink at the end or not. But she figured since she would be teasing him all day long, that wink would only make her point clearer. She gently pushed it through the small openings of his locker, hoping he would find it and put it somewhere safe. Because if he lost it and someone else would find it, her life was over. This wasn’t the kind of note she wanted plastered all over the hospital… The note disappeared into the locker and Meredith got out of there as quickly as she could before running the risk to be spotted by one of the interns. She figured that some of them already had suspicions about her and Andrew dating, and probably more people in this hospital, but the not wasn’t exactly how she would want to go public with their thingy. Even though she felt more ready every time she saw him, every time he said something that made the butterflies in her belly go wild, but she wasn’t ready to share him just yet. She enjoyed having him all to herself, and she kinda enjoyed the gossiping a little too.

Andrew was on Bailey’s service this week, so she probably would see him a lot. And especially today she didn’t mind, it gave her plan even more chances of working out. It was not much later when she spotted him for the first time. He was inside a patients room with Bailey, probably talking about a procedure they would be doing later on. She waited patiently for them to finish. Bailey came out first and shot a weird face towards Meredith but kept on walking. She heard Andrew finishing up the conversation so she tried to put up her game face. When he turned around and saw her, his face just lit up. He looked like he wanted to start talking about the note, but she cut him off.

“Goodmorning, Dr. Deluca” she said trying not to give in to the desire to just jump in his arms and hug and kiss him because she missed him so much. Andrew looks like he’s not sure what’s going on and doesn’t really know how to react. Meredith is enjoying this so much. Andrew was always the one to sweep her off her feet with his way with words and make her at a loss for words, but now tables have turned.

“Goodmorning Dr. Grey?” he tried, not sure if he could call her Meredith at this point. She was messing with his head. He knew she would when he opened his locker and saw a little white paper staring up at him. His fingers were tingling while holding it, he really wanted to read the cute thing but it said that he’d have to wait. And maybe he would take away some magic of her plan if he would have opened it already. So he put it in his backpack so he wouldn’t lose it around the hospital. He knew she was going to play a game with him today, but he was going to let her. She deserved her little game too. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Meredith clearing her throat.

“What were you thinking about?” she asks amused.

“Oh no, nothing. Just wandered off a bit.” He smiles, eyes filling with pure tenderness as he looked at her. She felt her body warm up again, his gaze was everything. He did so many things to her that she might even fail today and just give in to him. But not without putting up a fight first. She stepped closer to him and bended towards the side of his face.

“Wanna meet up for lunch, _bello_?” she noticed how he got goosebumps at the back of his neck. She pulled away and saw the smirk on his face. He was enjoying this, he enjoyed how she was in control right now.

“ _Mi piacerebbe che, bellezza._ ” He answered, loving how they were slipping into the stage of flirting at work, in Italian above all. But knowing Meredith was determined to tease him and play a game with him, he was going to play along. He knew Meredith loved it when he was speaking Italian, and he sure found her very hot when she was speaking it. So when she brushed her hand over his arm slightly and turned around to walk away swaying her hips a little extra he couldn’t help but look at her bottom. She was just _so_ sexy and beautiful to him. He treasured this woman like crazy, she held his heart already, but she probably didn’t even realize it yet.

“Deluca! Why the hell are you staring into space like that? Get your ass over here!” Bailey called out. He hurried over to her side to prepare for their surgery later today.

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Saturday morning arrived sooner than she realized. She was currently making the kids’ backpacks because Maggie and Jackson were taking them to the zoo today. She asked Maggie to take them out today, because she had something else to do. And she needed an empty house for that. When she told Maggie she immediately understood and got all hyped up that her sister was having some fun again finally. She practically had to push her out of the room last night because she wouldn’t stop asking questions about where she and Andrew stood and if anyone even knew something about them. So when she told her sister that she and Alex were the only ones yet and that she was going to kill her when she spilled something, Maggie got the note and made her way out of Meredith’s room.

She was almost finished packing the bags when her phone started buzzing on her night stand. She grabbed it and when saw Andrew’s name on the screen, she lit up immediately. As they started texting, she couldn’t help but feel proud of what she had accomplished this week. She sure met her goals with her plan.

On Tuesday, she still played it very low key. She would twirl her hair around her finger when she was talking to him and she locked eyes with him several times in the hallways, even when he had to listen to what Bailey was talking about. She thought it was very amusing to see how he tried to focus and shot her some anxious looks that were saying no more than “I’m going to be killed if I don’t get this.”

On Wednesday, she decided to step up the game a little. She put on a top with a low neckline. Not too low, but is was low. Lower than she used to wear. When she saw Andrew and walked past him, throwing her hair over her shoulder she could hear him inhaling deeply, and exhaling loudly through is nose. She looked at him seductively and saw him clenching his teeth together and balling his fists. Oh this was working out so good.

On Thursday she couldn’t do anything that drove him nuts because he had to scrub in on a surgery with Webber and she had her own obligations to attend to. And after losing one of her patients to cardiac arrest, she didn’t feel like continuing her game. She needed some support and a shoulder to cry on. Andrew had given her exactly that. They were sitting at one of the nurses stations late at night all alone. They put their chairs in front of each other so their knees were touching. Andrew put his hand on her knee, giving it some light squeezes. When she started sobbing lightly he broke their rules and pulled her on his lap sideways. Rules or no rules, he wasn’t going to let his girlfriend cry and not hold her. She doesn’t remember for how long they sat like that. She didn’t even cared if someone saw them. She just held Andrew so tight, and hid her face in the crook of his neck. He had one of his hands on her hair and the other one on her back, stroking it softly. She’s had a rough day, and he wanted to be there for her. When her sobs started to fade, he just held her for a little while longer until she started to talk again. Before he knew it, his ears were filled again with the lovely sound of her cute chuckles. He walked her to her car and kissed her goodbye through her open window. He only let go of her hand though when she told him that she was really fine for like 14 times. When she finally got in her bed and plugged her phone in the charger, she received a text from Andrew. “Sleep tight, beautiful. Call me when you need me, okay? I’m here for you.” There he was again, making her feel warm inside and missing him terribly right now, lying here in her alone in this big, cold bed. She wanted him around all the time. She hated going to bed alone, specifically now because now she had someone who would love the share the bed with her. She had had enough of this. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. And she was going to change that. This weekend.

On Friday he scrubbed in on a surgery with her. He bought her coffee first and asked her another 10 times if she was okay. So when she kissed him to shut him up, he finally stopped asking and his smirk reappeared on his face, making her even happier. He loved seeing her like this. All happy and smiling, he wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Meredith’s shift ended two hours earlier than Andrew’s. But she couldn’t just leave without saying something, so she looked for him. She found him in one of the exam rooms, talking with Bailey and Casey. She went to stand next to him and looked at him from the corner of her eye. She met his gaze and they both quickly turned their heads towards the ongoing conversation again.

“You going home, Grey?” Bailey asked.

“Yes, my week is over. Gonna spend some time with the kids now.” she answered.

“Well then what are you still doing here?” Bailey said looking confused. “You never come say goodbye to me when your shift is over. Or isn’t it me you wanted to say goodbye to?” she continued. Meredith felt Andrew stir next to her, scraping his throat. Casey just watched the whole thing. She felt her cheeks getting red so she had to get out of here before Bailey would get confirming on her suspense.

“Yeah, I’m going. Bye!” she said. Andrew smiled at her and tried telling her with his eyes that he would text her later. She understood, because she was getting that good in reading him. Andrew grabbed her bag of the ground and handed it to her. She brushed his hand with her fingers when she took the bag from him, receiving another weird glance from Bailey. Andrew kept his promise and texted her exactly two hours later. He had read her note.

“ _You, me and an empty house tomorrow. Up for it?_ ”

He must be really up for it since he was changing the texting to innocent yet arousing sexting. Meredith made herself come later that night because of the things he said he was going to do to her in his texts. Not much later, she fell asleep in a peaceful sleep.

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Maggie and Jackson had just left the house with the kids, and she took a minute to appreciate the silence that dominated. But she didn’t want silence now, she wanted Andrew here. She pulled out her phone and texted him.

“ _Coast is clear. I’m waiting for you x_ ”

“ _Give me 20 minutes.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this at 4am in my time, so sorry for any spelling mistakes their might be at the end because I was really struggling to keep my eyes open but I wanted to post this now :)


	5. Chapter 5

Andrew managed to get to her house in 17 minutes. She heard his motor driving up her driveway and she sprung up to get to the door. She wasn’t disappointed with what she was seeing. Andrew was wearing his leather jacket and sunglasses, and he looked sexy as hell on that bike. When he saw her staring he couldn’t help but put on a little show. He took off his helmet and ran his hand through it slowly, trying to put all the curls back into their place. He took the small bag out of the little pocket and walked over to her.

“Hey.” Meredith smiled. The corners of her eyes crooked up and he absolutely loved to see her like this.

“Goodmorning.” Andrew said before placing a sweet kiss on her lips. “You hungry?”

Meredith stepped aside to let Andrew in. She smelled the luscious scent of his perfume as he walked past her. She took it all in and it felt like the scent released even more endorphins in her body. She followed him to the kitchen and admired his posture from behind. He put the bag on the counter and turned around to catch her in his arms. She snakes her arms around his neck.

“Okay, so since you’re not really a kitchen princess I’ll be making us some lunch. In the meantime you can go sit down on your couch and relax for a bit. How does that sound?” he says, her favorite smirk appearing on his face while he was mocking her.

“The first part sounds good.” Meredith says. Andrew tilted his head and looked questioningly at his girlfriend.

“I’d much rather stay here and watch you do your magic in my kitchen than go sitting in the couch alone.” She explains. Andrew’s face relaxed and leans in to kiss her. He put his hand on her cheek and stroked it softly with his thumb. Meredith’s hands were still around his neck, but one of them now started going through his hear softly. She tugged softly at some of the curls and earned a groan from Andrew.

“Mer…” he sighed against her lips. He pulled her even closer and started kissing her a little more fiery. She let it all happen and licked his bottom lip, asking for consent. He gladly accepted it and they started discovering eachothers mouths with their tongues. It wasn’t a fight for dominance, but just a kiss that had so much meaning and longing in it. When Andrew sucked on her lip and nibbled it, she broke the kiss off by pushing his chest a little.

“Andrew… As much as I’d like to continue this, really, I am starving and I really need some food in my belly.” She said, drawing circles on his biceps with her fingers.

“Whatever you want, Dr. Grey.” He whispered, eyeing her lips. Meredith blinked and felt the knot in her stomach tighten. Did he really just say that? He started chuckling at her numbed face and let go of her, grabbing the bag and started preparing their lunch.

Meredith was scrolling through her phone, sneaking glances at her boyfriend cooking. He looked so hot while doing so, sleeves rolled up and a towel over his shoulder. He was jamming softly that played in the background and hummed contently. This sight, him cooking and her just looking at his magic, gave her this domestic feeling.

“ _Cazzo!_ ” Andrew suddenly snaps at one of the pots.

“You okay?” Meredith asks, already off her chair and walking over to him.

“Yeah, I just bumped my hand on the plate because I was a little distracted and it was kinda hot.” He groaned in pain, waving his hand in the air like it was on fire.

“Come here, you should rinse it for a decent amount of time to reduce the pain.” She said, pulling him over to the sink by his arm.

“Yes, doctor.” He smirked. Meredith rolled her eyes and turned off the stove so the food wouldn’t burn. He had been spending too much time on it to just let it burn.

“You know, you cursing in Italian was also kinda hot.” Meredith says, swatting her eyes down at him and looking up again seductively. “And you’re dancing was kinda cute.”

“So I’m hot and I’m cute?”

“Oh yes. You are.”

“And which side of me do you prefer when I’m going to have sex with you in a minute?” he whispers in her ear, breath hot on her skin. Meredith bites her lip and swallows hard. She could feel some stickiness between her legs already by these stupid words of him.

“The uh, first one?” she answers, suddenly very aware of the situation and getting turned on like hell by his attitude. He shuts the tap and wipes the water on his jeans.

“So you like hot, right?” he says, pulling her closer to him and resting both his hands on either side of her face, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. She lets out a soft sigh and closes her eyes. She opens them again and locks eyes with Andrew, neither of them planning on looking away. Until Andrew is the first to give in. “Fuck this.”

He reached behind Meredith and pushes everything aside on the counter. He stepped forward causing Meredith to walk backwards and hit the counter. Andrew puts one of his legs between hers to make sure she wouldn’t be getting away. His face was still only inches away from hers. “You think you can walk around teasing me all week without getting the backlash of it?”

The words made Meredith whimper and she felt her legs starting to tremble, rubbing one of them against Andrew’s. Her eyes lit with excitement as she was pinned against the counter. Meredith knew there was no escaping from this position because Andrew was way too strong, but she wouldn’t want too anyway. His hands slide down her arms and over her hips, landing on her bum. He squeezed it very lightly, if she wouldn’t be so sensitive to touch right now she probably wouldn’t have felt it, he lifted her and sat her down on the counter. Her hands started roaming on his back and through his hair immediately and she crashed her lips onto his, catching him in a very passionate kiss. She moaned in his mouth, causing him to groan and lick her bottom lip. The scent of his perfume was overwhelming her and she had to contain herself to not rip his clothes off right here and now.

“You’re so gorgeous.” He breathed, meeting her eyes before kissing her again. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him even closer. She could feel how he was getting hard and when she subtly rolled her hips down against him, she earned another groan. Poor guy, she wasn’t going to give it to him that easily. She had to stand her ground, even when she had a hard time herself.

“Bedroom.” Meredith breathed, her lips hovering so close to his that his breath tickled her skin. She was trembling but still managed to keep breathing.

“Lead the way.” Andrew responded, stepping back and pulling her gently off the counter, holding her hand like a real gentleman so she wouldn’t fall down. He made her feel like a teenager again. She was giggling while pulling him upstairs and Andrew couldn’t resist to touch her on the way there. When she opened her bedroom door, he scooped her up and walked over to the bed, laying her down gently. He kicked off his shoes and got onto the bed, hovering over her. She laid her arms around his neck and one hand crept up towards his hair. She just couldn’t resist those black wavy curls. She just had to feel them, had to hold them. She pulled a little and met him for a more sloppy kiss now. Everything about it screamed for them to continue and hurry up.

Andrew pulled back and looked at her again, as if asking for permission. She nodded, and that’s all he needed. The two of them were getting really good at expressing feelings with facial expressions. She could see the change in his eyes when he started unbuttoning her shirt. He kissed her skin every time he opened another button, making sure to leave a little wet trail. When he was finished, he blew on her stomach and chuckled when he saw the goosebumps appearing immediately. Meredith already was whining mess under him and he was a sucker for it. She got her arms out of her shirt and threw it off the bed. She crashed her lips on his again and started pulling on the hem of his shirt. He didn’t let her pull it off just yet, so she snaked her hands underneath and felt his amazing body. His broad chest and oh, those toned abs…

She felt breathless when he pulled back again, pulling the shirt over his head and throwing it to the side too. The sight alone could sent her over the edge. The way his muscles showed in every movement… Her lips were tingling from the tickle of his stubble which she already missed, just seconds after parting. He looked down at her and she could see all the lust and passion in his eyes. She really had done a great job this week turning him on a little more every day. She knew that she was about to have mind-blowing sex right now.

Andrew got up and took off his jeans and socks swiftly. Meredith had pushed her pants to her knees already so he willingly took them off to and hovered over her again. He slid one arm around her waist and rolled around so she was now straddling his lap. Meredith was pressed up against him, cradling his face. The kisses were growing even hungrier and Andrew’s hands found their way to the clasp of her bra. He hesitated for a moment, and Meredith noticed.

“Andrew. Do it.” She gasped, waiting to finally feel free. She looked at him while he opened it. He didn’t even once looked away from her and opened it with only one hand. He pulled his eyebrow at Meredith when he saw her looking a little impressed. She just chuckled and slams her lips onto his again while throwing the bra away. She could feel him growing even harder against her now soaked panties. She pushed his head to the side and started kissing his skin right below his ear. When she reached his collar bone she bit it softly and sucked it. He couldn’t care less if he had a hickey in the morning, he’s going to accept everything she’s giving him right now. She scooped her hips back a little so she could reach his chest, peppering kisses there until she reached his small line of black hair which seemed to go further down in his underwear. She glanced up at him to see him staring at her with big eyes and mouth wide open, wondering what her next move would be. She hooked her thumb under the band of his briefs and licked along the band. Andrew was moaning louder now and bucked his hips, regretting it immediately as he grabbed Meredith’s hand to get her attention.

“Don’t say it. Just enjoy.” She whispered, reassuring him that she didn’t mind, at all. She loved the effects she was having on him.

“Mer…” he breathed, probably feeling some pain because his briefs were getting really tight now. She brought her face back to his and crashed her lips onto his again. This time it was her who rolled them over so Andrew was now straddling her. She loved to feel his weight on her body. It made her feel wanted and safe at the same time. When she started pulling at the waistband, he got the note and quickly took them off. She tried not to look down and catch a glimpse of his member, but she failed. And boy, she wasn’t disappointed. He noticed and grinned widely, bending down to kiss her again. He took some stray strands of hair from her face and put them back into place.

“Really, Mer. You’re so beautiful.” He smiles. Meredith looks at him with her soft, blue eyes and reaches up to kiss his nose.

“You’re not too bad yourself.” She chuckles, glancing down again while doing so. Andrew perked his eyebrow again and bended down to make his own piece of art in her neck. She groaned when she felt his teeth biting the flesh there, gently but still hard. Meredith felt her nipples harden and goosebumps took over her body again when Andrew’s mouth came extremely close to them. When he sucked one between his lips, she screamed out his name and pulled his hear wildly. Her hands were going everywhere she could reach. He flicked his tongue over them and she was sure she was never going to get over this feeling. To her, it felt like he was treating her like a queen. While he was caressing one with his mouth, he made sure to keep the other busy with his hand. Everything went to smoothly with him. Even for his younger age, he is so good with this stuff, with pleasing women. Maybe it’s in the Italian roots. And she sure was thankful for it.

“ _Andrew.”_ Meredith cries desperately when she feels herself throbbing at this point. Andrew notices and makes sure she’s lying comfortable before reaching over to the edge of the bed, searching for something.

“What are you looking for?” Meredith whimpers, getting slightly frustrated by the wait.

“A condom” Andrew says, voice hoarse with lust.

“No, you don’t need it. I’m good, I have an IUD.” Andrew’s smile grows even wider. “And besides, I want to feel you. _All_ of you.”

And with that, he sinks into Meredith, moans uniting in one ballad. Meredith throws her head back and whimpers at the slow thrusts of Andrew. When she gives him a look, he knows what to do and starts moving faster, colliding in a perfect rhythm with Meredith bucking her hips meeting his thrusts. Andrew leans down and catches Meredith’s lips in a passionate kiss. He is panting by now and he can start to feel his groin tighten. Meredith grips the nape of his neck and swings her legs around his waist in an attempt to get him even deeper inside of her. Soon he starts hitting her right spots with each thrust and she knows she won’t be able to hold on for much longer.

“And..Andrew!” she breathes, not sure if he hears her but when he starts moving even faster, she knows he has. He thrusts down hard one last time before Meredith is sent over the edge gasping for air. She arches her back and flexes her feet as she feels the waves of her orgasm riding her. The sight sent Andrew over the edge too and he lets out a loud “Meredith!”, followed by a low groan and collapsing on top of his girlfriend when he rode out his own orgasm. They’re both panting, body’s wet and sticky. He rolls to her side and pulls her with him, holding her tight in his arms after pulling the blankets up to keep them warm.

“Wow…” Meredith sighs content, nudging her face in the crook of Andrew’s neck and letting out a sigh as she draws circles on his chest.

“Yeah…” he says, voice thick with passion.

“Maybe I should tease you more on work because if this is the reward I get, then I’m in!” she chuckles when Andrew slaps her arm playfully.

“I don’t need you teasing me to have amazing sex with you. You do this to me by being you, Mer.” He explains, looking at her trying to keep his eyes open. She reaches up and pecks him on his lips. She snuggles in even closer and they both fall asleep soundly.

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Andrew had left the house approximately 30 minutes ago and now she was waiting for her sister and Jackson to bring her kids back home. She and Andrew had woken up an hour later and cuddled some more in the bed before getting up and putting their clothes back on the finally go have a taste of Andrew’s magic cooking. It only needed some reheating and the food tasted amazing. She doesn’t know how he does it, maybe it’s just the magic in his hands. Because boy, his hands were magic. The things they could do to her… After they had sex Meredith was like a clingy puppy. She didn’t want to let go of Andrew and she sat on his lap to eat her meal. Andrew didn’t mind at all, he loved how clingy she was. They had some more passionate kisses before Andrew really had to leave. She kissed him goodbye ten more times before allowing him to put on his helmet and drive away. She missed him the second he was out the street and she was feeling very emotional at the moment. She knows what she’s feeling, but Derek was her first and only person in life that’s she’s ever felt about this way and she never thought she would get a second chance at it.

When Maggie and Jackson came in with the kids, all three of them ran to their mother and started rambling about their day at the zoo.

“I saw lions mom! Theye were huge and so cool!” Bailey yells, imitating a lions roar and their big claws.

“Yes and I saw the pink flamencos, they are so beautiful!” Zola says, showing her stuffed flamenco animal that she apparently got from Maggie and Jackson.

“Auntie Maggie bought me ice cream because it was so hot but I dropped it on accident and one of the birds ate the cookie!” Ellis says, pouting her lip a little but cheering up when Maggie gave her her stuffed Koala.

Meredith listened to all the stories her kids told her fondly, enjoying how happy and excited they were. But her mind wandered off to Andrew too, and the feeling she was having right now. Maggie must have noticed, because she motioned Jackson to take the kids upstairs.

“Let’s go play with your new stuffed animals upstairs, kids! First one there gets a cookie!” Jackson says, and suddenly Meredith and Maggie were alone.

“What’s wrong? You look, absent.” She said taking a seat next to her sister.

“Hmm?”

“Did he do something to you? Do I have to go kick his ass?”

Meredith wasn’t listening anymore as her mind took her back to her bed this afternoon. She was thinking of the things Andrew had called her. Gorgeous, beautiful, …

“Oh my god, I’m going to kill him! What did he do, Mer?!” Maggie says louder, shaking Meredith’s arm a little.

“What? Oh no, Maggie. No.” she sighs, resting her head on her knees. “He did everything right.”

Maggie tilted her head at her sister, not sure what she had to think right now.

“Then why are you so lost in your thoughts?” she asked, tilting her head questioningly.

“It’s… It’s just, he made me feel something that I haven’t felt in a very long time. The things he called me, the things he did to me Maggie. He was so perfect.” Meredith says, looking at her sister with watery eyes.

“Oh, I know what’s going on.” She says, resting her hand on Meredith’s knee. “You _love_ him.”

Meredith’s shield cracked and she started sobbing while nodding and hiding her face between her arms and knees.

“Okay, I’m going to tell you something.” Maggie starts, putting an arm around Meredith and pulling her closer. “Have you ever heard a song a couple times and enjoyed it or whatever? But then you hear it again and you think ‘damn, this is the best song I’ve ever heard’. Like you already knew it existed but for some reason it really hits you that one time. And you’re like wow, I wanna hear it again. So you play it again and you think you’re only gonna play it once more but then you play it again. And again. And again. You fall in love with the beat. You fall in love with the rhythm. You fall in love with the lyrics and everything about it. You can’t get enough of it. It’s constantly in your head and all you want it that song. I think that’s what it’s like to fall in love. You now about that person for a while but one day something about them catches you off guard. Then you start talking to them which is like hitting play. And you wanna keep talking to them and so you do, which is like putting it on repeat. Then you fall in love with their eyes, you fall in love with their smile. You fall in love with their personality. You fall in love with everything about them. You can’t get enough of them. They’re constantly in your head and all you want is that person. I think falling in love is like discovering your favorite song. You have to give yourself a second chance at love, Meredith. You deserve it, and so does Andrew.”

Meredith was kind of shocked. She knew her sisters were always there for her, but this. This came deep from Maggie’s heart. Like she _really_ , badly, truly wants Meredith to be happy and find love again.

“That describes it so well. Do you really think life will give me a second chance?” Meredith sniffs.

“Yes! Oh Meredith please, give yourself a shot at being happy again. I can see how the two off you act around eachother in the hospital. You’re both in this deep.”

“She’s right, Meredith.” Jackson says, probably overhearing their conversation and wanting to give some support too. “A very good friend of mine once told me ‘If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared it will cause problems. Even if you’re scared it will burn your life to the ground. You say it. You say it loud. And you go from there.’ He was right Meredith. You should listen to Sloan, Meredith, if only for once.” He says, smiling fondly over the memory of the other half of the Plastics Posse.

Meredith nods, knowing her sister and Jackson are 100% right. Can she identify this feeling as love? She quickly runs it over in her head, and Maggie is probably right. She’s feeling love. A lot of it. She loves Andrew. A lot.

“Thank you, guys. I know what to do now.” she says, looking at them thankfully.

“Now tell me the details, how good is the Italian guy in bed?” Maggie says, hanging on Meredith’s lips.

“No, wait! I don’t want to hear this, I still need to work with the man!” Jackson yells as he makes his way out of the room.

Meredith and Maggie laugh out loud and Maggie pokes Meredith’s arm. “Spill!”

“It was mind-blowing. I think I’ve never had so many orgasms in one hour! And the way he kisses and talks, oh god Maggie” Meredith sighs, feeling like she’s on cloud 9. Maggie just sits there smiling wildly at the happiness of her sister and listens intently to all the dirty details.

“I heard that!” A voice in the other room shouts. Maggie and Meredith burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little longer than the others, but I just couldn't stop writing :D
> 
> (I haven't read this through yet for any typos so if you see one, let me know!)


	6. Chapter 6

“Bailey, put away that truck and get in bed!” Meredith yelled at her middle child in the other room while helping her youngest getting in her PJ’s.

“Yes, mommy!” the blond haired cheerfully replied. Meredith knew how lucky she was with her kids. They’re always happy, they never do bad things, they’re polite and most of all, they love their mom for everything she was. She knew she sometimes misses bedtime because she’s on call, or she misses movie night on Fridays because a trauma comes in at the last minute of her shift but they are never mad over it. Never bothered by it. Because they know mommy is saving lives, and she always makes up for it if she misses something. But she was going to tell them about Andrew in a few minutes, and now she was shitting her pants. Maggie has made her realize that she loves Andrew, and she wants so much more of him in her life, but she has three kids who need her too. She has never introduced someone new to them since Derek passed, and Andrew being the first one made her even more nervous. She didn’t want to screw this up, she wanted this to work out and she hoped that her kids would be okay with the whole thing.

When she finally got Ellis in her pajamas, she picked her up and brought her to her bedroom where Zola and Bailey were waiting for them already. She sat down onto Zola’s bed with Ellis in her lap and called Bailey over. His little feet walked over to his sisters bed and he sat down next to his sister, legs crossed and his head resting in his arms.

“Okay, before we go to sleep, mommy wants to tell you something.” All three pairs of eyes were now fixated on her.

“Tomorrow is Sunday, and do you remember what we do on Sundays?” Meredith asked, finding it a good way to start this conversation.

“We eat waffles!” Zola exclaimed.

“Yeah and then uncle Alex comes over!” Bailey said, already looking forward to seeing his godfather again.

“And auntie Amelia and auntie Maggie!” Ellis added.

“Right! Mommy wants to invite one more person tomorrow. You already met him before.” Meredith says, her heart now racing with tension.

“Who?” Bailey says, not coping with the unknown.

“Do you remember Dr. Deluca? He stayed with us for a couple of days a while ago.”

“Is he the one who was singing sad songs in Italian and doesn’t have to shower because he’s European?” Zola chuckles. Meredith loved this about her. She’s so smart and attentive.

“Yes Zozo, that’s him! I want to invite him to our waffle party because he and I have been spending more time together.” Meredith chuckles, running her hand over her daughter’s hair quickly.

“Is he your boyfriend?” Zola says, catching Meredith a little off guard. Meredith looks at her and feels her smile growing wider.

“He is.” Meredith nods.

“Are you going to kiss him tomorrow?” Bailey wants to know.

“Probably yes, Bails.”

“Will he play with me?” Ellis asks.

“And will he play soccer with me?” Bailey follows.

“And will he take a shower first?” Zola says, pinching her nose remembering his smell when he lied on their couch for a few days.

“I’ll tell him to take a shower first, Zozo.” Meredith laughs, causing her three kids to laugh too. This went well she thought to herself. They all sound kind of excited about meeting him. She had expected a little more hesitation from Zola because she remembers Derek the most, but she too was excited to meet him. “And I’m sure Andrew will want to play with all of you!”

“Andrew?” Bailey asks.

“Yes, his first name is Andrew. Deluca is his last name, like yours are Shepherd.”

“I like his name. Oh and mommy, I actually think that I will be better at soccer than him. But I don’t want to make him sad again so I’ll let him win sometimes.” Bailey adds. Meredith laughs again, imagining how Bailey is going to let Andrew win from him.

“I think you’ll like him. I like him too. A lot. Not more than you but, a lot. But if you don’t like him, that’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.” Zola reaches over and puts her arms around her mother. Meredith pulls her closer and hugs her. Ellis is giggling because she’s being sandwiched and Bailey joins the hug too.

“I love you.” Meredith whispers before hugging her kids even harder. They stay like that for a little while, each of them enjoying the purest family moment. So after another decent amount of time, it’s time for her little ones to go to sleep. “Thank you sweeties. Time for bed now!”

Bailey slid off the bed and walked over to the other while Meredith had to carry a half sleeping Ellis to hers. She tucked her in and kissed the top of her head. Bailey already zoned out too when she reached him. She took his stuffed lion and gently put in in her son’s arms under the covers. She kissed his forehead too and turned off his night lamp.

When she reached Zola’s bed, she saw a frown on her forehead. She sat down and took her daughter’s hand in hers. Zola was biting her lip.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Meredith asks worried reaching out a hand and brushing Zola’s cheek caringly.

“Does he make you happy?” she spits out and looks up at her mother with teary eyes.

“He’s making me very happy, Zola. He’s wonderful.” Meredith asks, feeling herself tear up too at how worried her daughter is over her happiness.

“Because I love you, and I know you love dad. But I also think that you shouldn’t stay on your own all your life. So if Andrew is making you happy again, then I’m happy for you too and I can’t wait to meet him.” Meredith is speechless. When did her daughter grow up?  She can’t think of any right thing to say right now, so she bends down and plants several kisses on Zola’s forehead.

“I love you too, sweetie.” She manages to bring out and kisses her forehead one more time before turning of her night light too. Zola falls asleep with a faint smile on her face, and Meredith gets outs of the room as quiet as possible and goes to her own bed. The amount of love she’s feeling right now makes her chest feel like it’s going to burst and tears her up and a few tears start rolling over cheek. She couldn’t have wished for a better outcome than this. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow, to see how the kids would open up to Andrew and vice-versa. Shit! Andrew! She hadn’t even invited him over yet! It was too late to call now, so she decided to send him a text.

“ _Me and the kids are having our family traditional waffle party tomorrow. Alex, Maggie and Amelia are coming over and I really want to have you there too. I asked the kids and they are very excited to meet the man who’s making their mom happy again ;) It starts somewhere around 10am. What do you think, you think you’re ready?”_

She didn’t really expect him to come, because she knew this was a big step. Meeting her kids makes everything ten times more serious. She’d be okay if he wasn’t ready for that yet. She couldn’t blame him, getting three kids to like you is a big job. She wanted to send him another text telling him that it would be fine if he doesn’t feel ready for it, but he was faster.

“ _Really? Off course I’m ready! I’m excited to meet them too! I’ll be there. Oh Mer, I want to kiss you so badly right now!”_

_“Great! I’ll give you double kisses tomorrow ;) Oh, Zola only had one request for you…”_

_“What’s that?”_

_“She wants you to take a shower before you get here. Because she remembers you as the smelly sad guy on the couch, remember :p”_

_“Oh my god… I’ll make sure to smell all clean and fresh! I’d much rather have you in the shower with me though…”_

_“You’ll have to wait a little longer for that I guess. Now be a big boy and make sure you wash all the dirt off of you, because I won’t kiss you if you smell.”_

_“Djeez, I didn’t smell that bad back then!”_

_“You kinda did…”_

_“Alright fine, you win!”_

_“I always win.”_

_“Oh you do, do you…”_

_“Yup.”_

_“We’ll come back to that later. I’m going to sleep now, so I’ll be up early enough to take a shower. I’m getting a little nervous now though, what if your kids don’t like me? I mean, I wouldn’t blame them, I don’t want them to think that I’m there to replace their dad because that’s the last thing I want to do.”_

_“Stop worrying, I know they’ll like you. Zola just told me that she knows I still love Derek but she doesn’t want me to stay alone for the rest of my life. She’s okay with me dating you. She might be a little edgy at first but I’m sure your Italian charms will win her over in no time. And Bailey already likes you, he said he’s going to let you win with soccer. And little Ellis was excited too, so you really don’t have to worry. Just be yourself and you’ll make them like you in a blink. Just like you let me like you ;)”_

_“Thank you Mer, for wanting to share your family moments with me. Really means a lot to me and if I was there with you now, I’d give you the biggest hug ever.”_

_“I’ll be glad to have you here with me again, because I’m missing you like crazy now.”_

_“I miss you too, Mer. Sleep tight xx”_

_“See you tomorrow xx”_

Meredith sighs contently and puts her phone in the charger. She’s trying to keep the tears in her eyes from rolling down but fails. These aren’t tears of sadness, but from pure happiness. A few months ago she could have never imagined herself being in a relationship with Andrew Deluca. Everything went so smoothly with him, he made her feel so lightheaded and made her forget about all the drama she’s went through. She falls down onto her pillow and smiles widely. Tomorrow was going to be the start of a new chapter in her life and she was so ready for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is not so great, I needed it as a transition for the next one :)  
> Thank you for sticking around!


	7. Chapter 7

Meredith was up early this morning. She normally would want to sleep in on her free Sunday, but today she couldn’t. Today might be a big milestone in her life. Her kids were meeting her boyfriend today. She hadn’t brought any man in their lives since Derek’s passing. She never felt the need to, never had a guy that made her feel at ease and safe enough to introduce him to her kids. Andrew made her feel things she hadn’t felt since Derek. Maybe even things she’s never felt before. He’s making her feel like a teenager again who just wants to spend every second with her boyfriend. She misses him whenever he’s not around. So when she started crying when Maggie told her that what she’s feeling is love, she knew that this was serious. Andrew isn’t anything like Nathan or Thorpe. Andrew revealed a whole new side of her that she didn’t even knew about. He also made her like all the sneaky touches and stolen glances at work. And then there’s his way with words, him being Italian, his Italian charms and how he could make her be at a loss for words when he kisses her. But the way he caressed her body in the early hours, how he touched every inch of her skin, how he made her see stars when riding out her orgasm… She loved the side of him that only she got to see, got to feel. And now she couldn’t wait to see more of his loving, caring side when he’s around kids. She knows he’s good with kids, and she couldn’t wait to see him interact with her own.

But, she was getting distracted there. She needed to prepare her house for a waffle Sunday. Her kids were still asleep so she had little time to actually do stuff around the house. She tied her hair in a messy bun and threw on some sweatpants and a top. She started with vacuuming the living room and cleaning the kitchen counter. She put her earpods in and started dancing to the music while trying to finish the chores before her three little ones would wake up. She danced around her living room, using an imaginary microphone to playback the lyrics.

“Mommy, what are you doing?” Bailey says, chuckling at how his mother is jumping around the living room. Meredith couldn’t hear him because of the earpods so he stepped closer and tapped her on her back, making her startle and turn around.

“Oh hi Bailey! Are you awake already?” she says bending down and kissing her son on the top of his head. She unplugs the earpods and pauses the music.

“Why are you jumping around the living room?” he wonders, looking at her as if she had totally lost her mind.

“I don’t know, I felt happy and I felt like I had do dance! Want to join?” she smiles, already putting the music back on and starting to dance again. Bailey looked her up and down with an expression that reminded her of Derek. She found it fascinating sometimes on how Bailey was a copy of his father with certain things. Bailey hates it when Ellis snores in her sleep when she’s having a cold. He shares the same favorite color with his dad. They’re both very specific about it. They don’t just like blue. It’s a specific shade of blue that they love. Even though she thinks that Bailey doesn’t have as much memories of his dad as Zola has, she knows Bailey sure does remember him. He starts smirking in that same way his father always did before doing something funny and started shaking his butt to the music. Meredith laughed and grabbed her son’s hands and started dancing again with him.

It’s not easy to have 3 kids when you’re alone and give them all the same amount of love or attention. Bailey never put himself in the spotlight, he always let his sisters tell or do things first before he would walk over to his mother. Meredith was enjoying her one-on-one time with her little boy more than anything. They had been dancing for a few minutes and both of them starting to get out of breath.

“Do you want some orange juice, buddy?” Meredith breathed, trying to catch her breath again. Bailey nodded and started panting like a dog. She loves him so much. He’s just the sweetest little boy ever. Bailey skipped behind her to the kitchen and waited patiently for his juice. Meredith gave him his cup and he started drinking it quickly.

“Careful Bailey, if you drink too fast your belly will hurt.” She says, running a hand through his blond locks before walking over to the vacuum to put it away.

Once she was satisfied with how her house looked, she went upstairs with Bailey to go wake his sisters and get them and herself ready for waffle Sunday. Alex and Jo were going to be here soon to help prepare, so she needed to hurry up a little.

“Bailey, brush your hair please.” Meredith says while braiding Ellis’ hair. Ellis loved her hair, she wanted it differently every day and hated when it had tangles in it. Zola loved to learn new hairstyles for her type of hair from Maggie. She would get all excited when she learned something new and was always eager to show her mom and her sister too. Meredith loves how studious Zola is. She loves school and she wants to become a surgeon too. A neurosurgeon to be specific, just like her dad. So when Amelia had an interesting case on her hands, Zola would stalk her with dozens of questions.

Meredith was proud of herself for getting herself and three kids ready in under half an hour. She was typing out a text to Andrew as the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Bailey yelled, dropping his Legos and running over to the door. “Uncle Alex! Auntie Jo!”

“Hey buddy!” Alex and Jo greeted Bailey and made their way into the house. “Hi Zozo and Ellis!”

“Hi!” Zola exclaimed. Ellis waved at them before running over to Meredith to hide behind her leg. She’s always a little shy in the beginning when people come over, even with Alex.

“Hey Ellis, why don’t you go help Bailey build his Lego truck?” Meredith whispered to her youngest. Ellis nodded and walked over to her brother again.

“So, where’s the Italian resident?” Alex said, scanning the room for a glimpse of Andrew. Jo slapped his shoulder before rolling her eyes.

“He’ll be here soon.” Meredith grinned, feeling her body warm up to the idea that she’s about to see her boyfriend again any minute.

“You’re glowing. He really makes you happy, huh?” Jo asked, pinching her eyes and tilting her head a little.

“He does.” Meredith smiled. She was about to add something when the doorbell rang again. That can’t be Andrew yet, because he just texted her that he was on his way. So it had to be Maggie or Amelia.

“Auntie Maggie!” Zola hugged her and let her auntie in the house.

“Goodmorning! I’m starving, where are the waffles?” Maggie sighed, holding her stomach.

“Where’s Jackson?” Meredith asked before reading an incoming text on her phone.

“He’s coming over later, he had to stop by Catherine and Richard first.” She explained. “Where’s your boyfriend by the way?”

As if on cue, the bell rang for the third time and Meredith sprinted towards the hallway to open the door.

“I guess he’s here.” Jo chuckled.

Meredith approached the door and could tell it was him by his figure. She opened the door trying to contain her enthusiasm and not jump straight into the arms of the poor man.

“Hey!” Andrew smiled when he saw her.

“Hi!” Meredith answered. She saw how he hesitated to come in and pulled his arm. “Come in!”

Andrew was glad that Meredith didn’t pull him straight towards the living room. He had to calm his nerves a little before meeting her kids. She probably noticed because she brushed her hand over his arm, letting it rest on his chest. She took a step forward and felt Andrew’s arm instinctively curl around her waist.

“I’m so happy to be here. But I’m also kinda shitting my pants…” he whispered before quickly pecking her lips.

“Don’t be scared, I’m sure they’ll like you. Just be you, that’s all they want. And now give me a proper kiss.” She said, gratefully welcoming Andrew’s lips on her. She grabbed a handful of his soft brown hair and he let out a deep sigh, sending shivers down her body. When they broke the kiss, Meredith winked at him and entwined their fingers, pulling him forwards. “Come on, let’s go.”

As soon as they entered the living room, three pairs of eyes shot straight at them. Meredith felt Andrew getting a little uncomfortable and squeezed his hand.

“Kids, this is Andrew!” Meredith said, still not letting go of his hand.

“Hi Andrew!” Bailey said, waving at him with that goofy face of his.

“Hey, Bailey.” Andrew chuckled.

Zola squinted her eyes as she looked at Andrew and then looked at the way he was holding her mother’s hand. She saw how his thumb was slowly moving over the back of her hand and gave him a sincere smile. He nodded and smiled back at her. Ellis on the other hand stood up and walked over to the pair. She stood in front of Andrew and looked him up and down, before landing her eyes on his head.

“I like your hair! He has nice hair, mommy!” she smiled.

“He does, right?” Meredith said. She likes his hair as much as her daughter does. She likes running her fingers through it, especially when it was freshly washed and felt extremely soft and silky. Ellis checked him out once more before turning around and running back to her siblings. When they continued playing, Andrew sighed deeply and ran his free hand through his hair.

“That went well!” Meredith said, turning her head and pecking him on the cheek.

“I hope so!” Andrew blew out.

Meredith let go of his hand so he could finally take off his jacket and then followed her to the kitchen to join the others.

“I think you’ll appreciate this.” Alex said handing him a beer.

“I do. Thank you, Dr. Karev.” Andrew politely said before sipping the bottle.

“Oh please, Andrew. You can call me Alex outside the hospital!”

“Yeah, just call us by our first names when we’re not at work, alright?” Maggie smiled.

Andrew nodded and took another sip of his beer.

“Thank you for inviting me today. Really means a lot to me.” He said.

“No, thank _you_ for making Meredith glow again. She’s been a lot less grumpier since you’re in the picture.” Jo says, earning a slap on her arm from Meredith.

“Hey! I was never grumpy!”

Alex, Maggie and Jo all have the same look on their faces before bursting out into laughter. Okay, maybe she got a little bit grumpy sometimes. Andrew looked at her and chuckled. Meredith just rolled her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder, sighing contently. He placed a sweet kiss on her hair, receiving an “aww” from Maggie. It wasn’t much later when Amelia came walking through the door and joined the group. She of course couldn’t stop herself from teasing Andrew a little about how nervous he has been for this moment and reassured him that he would fit right in perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three days to go for the season finale and I'm so freaked out about it that I can't even think straight anymore. AARRGGHH!!


	8. Chapter 8

Alex had claimed the kitchen and was currently preparing everyone’s breakfast. Andrew had insisted on helping him. Much to Meredith and Jo’s surprise, they got along pretty well and hadn’t been bickering over who’s recipe was better. Amelia was playing with the kids and Maggie and Jackson seemed to be in deep conversation.

“I’ve gotta be honest, I was suspecting a whole lot more bickering and fighting actually. Because Andrew never lets me help him in the kitchen when he’s cooking for me. He doesn’t even want me near the kitchen, the only thing he lets me do is watch him.” Meredith said, sighing playfully.

“You and I both know there’s a good reason for that, Mer…” Andrew says, turning his head and winking at her. He grins when she rolls her eyes.

“Same with Alex. And when I try to suggest something that he should do differently, he gets mad!” Jo added.

“Because your ideas are no good, Jo!” Alex replies.  

Meredith and Jo continue to watch their men for a little while longer before they get up and go set up the table. Meredith smiles to herself as she reminds herself to take one more plate extra today. She wouldn’t mind doing so more often. She was so excited about him being here and watching him doing his thing in the kitchen with her best friend made her heart flutter. It still scared her a little to let him get this close to her, because the odds have never really been in her favor and she finds it easier to just keep a little distance but Andrew made her forget all those things. He has been so patient, so supportive and so caring that she just wants him as close to her as possible. He has been the sweetest and kindest person to her when he yet again stayed in the hospital after his shift ended because he knew that she was still in surgery and might need some comfort after. So no, she wasn’t planning on keeping little distance between him and her. She thinks she might be ready for that next step. Even though it scares her, she loves him and she wants him around.

“Hey Mer? Everything alright? You’ve been staring at those plates for like a minute.” Jo says, pulling Meredith from her inner thoughts.

“Huh? What? No, it’s nothing, I’m fine.” Meredith quickly says while getting back up and placing the plates on the table, not caring about how she was smiling from ear to ear.

Jo gives her a look but decides to let it go, for now. She knows Meredith will come to her when she needs to or when she’s ready to. The only thing that’s not going to help, is pushing her. She probably already knew what was going on in Meredith’s mind though. She had been walking around beaming for the last few weeks, Jo has never seen her that happy in years. And now she was witnessing it from first row. The stolen glances and pecks on the lips followed by a smirk or a wink between Meredith and Andrew told her enough about what the both of them were feeling, but scared of saying. She knows that Meredith loves Andrew, but is scared as hell to say it to him because she probably feels like she’s going to lose him the minute she says it out loud. She loved to see Meredith this happy again, and she loved that she was being taken care of by a male figure again. She deserves that. So when Jo catches Andrew looking fondly at Meredith and her kids laughing over something Bailey said, she knew Andrew was right for Meredith. He is everything and more that she deserves.

“Alright everyone, waffles are ready!” Alex shouts while balancing two plates stacked with waffles on his arm. The kids sprung up and ran to their usual seats at the table. Meredith walks towards her seat next to Zola and motioned Andrew to come sit next to her. He happily walks towards her and brushes her arm as he sits down. She lifts her finger and wipes some flour off of his cheek.

“You saving that for later?” she chuckles.

“Hey, that’s what you get when you’re baking waffles for an army!” he defends himself, holding his hands up. Meredith chuckles and leans in, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you for being here.” She whispers, her face still close to the side of his.

“No, thank you for inviting me. I know this is a big step for you.” He whispers back, turning his head so he could look her in the eye while saying it. Meredith doesn’t respond in words but just nudges her forehead to his upper arm shortly, letting out a content sigh.

A few minutes later everyone is munching on their waffles. Andrew rests his back against his chair and takes in his view. All this people are very close to Meredith, and he can’t help but feel happy and relieved that she has all these people to rely on. When he first started as an intern in the hospital, he could tell soon enough that the attendings had a very tight bond and they would do anything for each other. He always admired them for it, how they stuck together through so much drama in their lives. And now he was here eating waffles with them on a Sunday morning. Meredith was talking to Amelia who sat across from her, next to little Ellis. Andrew wasn’t really following their conversation but he enjoyed how Meredith was so caught up in it. The other half of the table were entangled in an intense conversation too and Andrew didn’t really feel the desire to catch up on it. Ellis was telling Zola about how she had dreamt of how she was playing in the snow with Olaf and Anna and Zola promised her to watch the movie again later today. Bailey sat in between his sisters but seemed unbothered by them. Andrew noticed and watched him trying to cut his waffle into a figure.

“Hey, Bailey, what are you doing?” Andrew tried, hoping the little boy wouldn’t be scared off with being interrupted.

“Oh, I’m trying to make my waffle look like a dinosaur!” Bailey chirped, happy with the given attention. His waffle didn’t look like a dinosaur at all but if the thought of it made him happy, Andrew was happy too.

“So you like dinosaurs, huh?”

“Yeah! I love ‘em! I have some small ones in my room and I know some of their names!”

“Oh really? I really like dinosaurs too!” Andrew smiled, remembering how when he was Bailey’s age, he slept in dinosaur pajamas, dinosaur covers, had a stuffed dinosaur he always took to bed with him and the dozens of small dinosaur figures he owned.

“You do? That’s so cool! Can I show them to you later? Because my mommy or my sisters don’t like them as much as I do so I always have to play with them by myself.”

“Sure! You can tell me all about your dinosaurs when we finish eating our waffles.” Andrew leans over his plate closer to Bailey and whispers “Your mommy and sisters don’t like them because they are probably a little scared of them.”

Bailey starts chuckling and his eyes show that he’s genuinely happy that he has finally found someone to share his excitement over the creatures with. Andrew realizes that Bailey is the only boy around in the house most of the time so he understands that it’s probably a little frustrating for him sometimes when his sisters don’t want to play any ‘boy games’ with him. Meredith looked at Bailey and then at Andrew, her frown becoming bigger and squeezing her eyes at him.

“What did I just miss?”

“Oh, nothing. Just a conversation from man to man about a shared passion.” Andrew states formal, sticking his nose in the air.

“Hmm, right.” Meredith chuckles before taking another bite of her waffle.

Andrew felt like he could get used to this. The domestic part about Meredith’s life. He loved seeing her operating, performing her amazing skills and handling the biggest surgeries as if it was piece of cake. She never failed to amaze him by her precise handwork and knowledge. But he also loved seeing this side of her life. Her being a mother and a sister. No matter how much she’s got going on in her head, she would drop everything immediately for her family. And maybe that’s what Andrew adores the most of her. How much she wants to take care of everyone. She even let him crash at her place for a few days when she didn’t even knew him that well yet. He can feel his heart start to flutter and slips his hand under the table, slowly letting it rest above Meredith’s knee. He can feel her leg tense up a little but relaxing again immediately. She moves her leg a little and brushes it to his. He’s drawing small circles on her leg with his thumb. Her hand covers his a few seconds later and she intertwines her fingers with his. Andrew has no idea if he can ever feel even more happy than he is right now, taking in every little detail of this moment.

The kids had finished eating and put their plates in the sink before returning to their toys. The rest of them were still seated at the table and chitchatting about everyday life. Andrew’s left arm rested on Meredith’s chair, making her lean against him a little.

“Hey, I’m going to clean the kitchen a little already.” Andrew said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Andrew, you don’t have to do that.” Meredith tried, not wanting to lose his warmth.

“We made a little mess in there, I’ll only feel guilty if I don’t clean it up myself. I won’t be long.” He smiles, taking a strand piece of her hair and putting it back into its place.

“Okay…” Meredith sighed, pouting her lips, trying to change his mind. Andrew just chuckled and got up, placing a kiss on top of her head before disappearing into the kitchen. Meredith watched him go, admiring how his clothes accentuated her favorite features on him. When he was out of sight, Amelia stood up and walked over to sit on Andrew’s chair.

“He’s good Mer. He’s so good with you and the kids. How he made Bailey smile and how he can blend in the girls little fantasy world, he’s good with them. And they like him. You’re lucky.” She said genuinely.

“Yeah, I think I am…” Meredith smiled at her sister. “Thank you, Amelia.”

“And if he’s ever not a good man, which I doubt, I’ll have your back.” Amelia continues. “I’ll hurt that pretty little face of his if necessary.” Meredith started laughing even harder, knowing very well that Amelia would actually do such things for her. When Amelia rejoined the conversation, Meredith got up and made her way over to the kitchen. Andrew didn’t hear her and he continued to scrub one of the counters. Meredith looked at her sink and realized he was right, they did make quite of a mess in here. Not that she cared, she knew Alex would come and clean up afterwards if it hadn’t been done yet. Meredith tiptoed over to Andrew as quiet as she could. When she was close enough she slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Hi.” Andrew chuckled, turning his head a little so he could see her in the corner of his eyes.

“I already missed you so I’m going to help you clean.” She said, moving her fingers over his stomach. She could faintly feel his toned abs through his shirt and made sure to circle each of them. Andrew’s senses were getting very alert right now. He knew what Meredith was doing but he tried to ignore it and continued cleaning the counter in front of him. Meredith on the other hand knew that he wasn’t able to resist her so she started pressing small kisses to his neck causing him to tilt his head sideways.

“Mer, the kids…” he sighed, not wanting to end this moment but also a little scared that they would get caught.

“The kids know that I was going to kiss you today.” She answered innocent.

“I think this is more like making out.” Andrew chuckled. So when she nipped his earlobe Andrew spun around and had his arms around her waist.

“Oh so now you’re fine with it?” Meredith smirks. He turned them so he had Meredith trapped against the counter. His eyes were getting dark and hungry for more but Meredith wasn’t ready to give in just yet. She ran a hand through his dark curls and tugged on them a little. Andrew bobbed his head forwards and caught her lips in a passionate kiss. Meredith continued playing with his hair and tugging on it gently, making Andrew growl deeply. When she broke the kiss and pulled her head back a little to see the look on his face, Andrew’s hand slid down to her buttcheeks. With one swift movement he lifted her and placed her on the counter. Meredith started giggling and locked her legs around his waist. Andrew smirked and leaned in to kiss her again. His hands were behind her back to make sure she wouldn’t fall back or lose balance. Meredith had one hand in his neck and the other on his back to pull him even closer to her if possible. Andrew licked her bottom lip for access, causing Meredith to moan right in his mouth. He gently used one of his hands to tilt her head sideways and started trailing her neck with kisses. Meredith’s eyes were shut and she tried to contain herself to not start moaning too loud.

“Hey Andrew, Bailey is w-” Alex stopped talking as he entered the kitchen and saw what was going on. “Oh please, get a room! There are kids in this house!”

Andrew winces and gives her an I-told-you-so look. She rolls her eyes playfully at him and he rests his forehead against her shoulder, feeling a little exposed right now.

“Oh please, like you’ve never seen a couple kiss before.” She scoffs at Alex, trying to hold back laughter.

“Kiss? You were about to strip each other’s clothes off!”

“Alex! You’re exaggerating!” she laughs. Andrew wants to give her some more space but she squeezes her legs even tighter around him.

“Fine. I just came in here to tell Andrew that Bailey is waiting for you.” Alex says.

“Right! I’ll be right there!” Andrew answers. Meredith leans in and starts pecking Andrew on the lips.

“Disgusting!” Alex says, rolling his eyes and making his way out of the kitchen as fast as possible. Andrew and Meredith burst out into laughter once he’s gone.

“Alright, even though I don’t want to leave just yet, I promised Bailey that he could show me all of his dinosaurs…” Andrew explains, caressing Meredith’s cheek with his palm.

“Oh, so that’s what your man to man talk was about?” she asks. Andrew hums and leans in again, pressing a few more kisses to her lips before helping her off the counter. “I’ve gotta go or I’ll score bad points with your son.”

“You won’t. You’re way too good for that.” Meredith smiles. Andrew smiles back and pecks her on the lips one more time before heading out to find Bailey.

Andrew had been upstairs with Bailey for over half an hour so Meredith decided to go check on them. She could already hear Bailey giggling in the hallway. A smile grew on her face as she got closer to his bedroom. She peaked her head through the door and saw the cutest thing she’s ever seen. Andrew was sitting on Bailey’s bed, his lap covered with small dinosaur figures. Bailey stood in front of him and was telling him everything he knew about one of the dinosaurs. She didn’t want to interrupt them yet so she just stood quietly at the door.

“This one is one of my favorites. It’s a Triceratops and I like him because he was nice and he didn’t hurt other dinosaurs on purpose.” Bailey said.

“That’s a very nice thought, Bailey. I like him too! I also really like Brachiosaurus. They are huge and I find their long necks very cool. They also were gentle giants.” Andrew answered, holding up one of the figures that was supposed to be one of those gentle giants. Bailey nodded frantically and climbed up the bed to sit down next to Andrew. He started fumbling on his stuffed lion and Andrew noticed his change of mood. Meredith saw it too and just as she wanted to walk in, Bailey spoke up.

“Hey, Andrew?”

“Yes buddy?”

Andrew noticed how he was struggling to find the words he wanted to say, so he shifted closer to him and stroked his back. “What’s wrong?”

“You and my mommy like each other, right?” Bailey stuttered, catching Andrew a little off guard.

“I like your mommy very much, yes. And I think she likes me too, why?”

“Be- because I really like you and I like playing with my dinosaurs with you. And I don’t want to not see you anymore because that would make me really sad.” He sighed.

Andrew pulled Bailey into a hug and he could feel the little boy shiver a little.

“I like you too, Bailey. It would make me sad too if we couldn’t play with your dinosaurs anymore. But you don’t have to worry about that, okay? I really hope that I get to spend some more time with you guys. I’m going to tell you a secret, but you can’t tell anyone yet, okay? Not even your mom!” Meredith’s ears perked up and she watched the two of them closely.

“Sure! What is it?” Bailey said, very excited about being told a secret.

“I think that I love your mommy. She is always very nice and sweet to me and she gives me butterflies in my belly.” Andrew whispered, but loud enough for Meredith to hear. She stood there, mouth open and eyes wide. Did Andrew really just say that he loves her. Not to her directly, but he told her son. Who was getting even more excited right now.

“You do? That is so cool because I think that my mommy loves you too. I hear her talking about you to auntie Maggie a lot. If she loves you, will you move in with us so we can play even more with dinosaurs and play more football?” Bailey smiles looking up at Andrew.

“I think it’s going to take a while before I really move in, but if we’re lucky maybe I get to stay over one time?”

“I hope so! Maybe you can show me then how you make your pancakes with blueberries?”

“Deal!” Andrew said, highfiving Bailey. Meredith’s eyes teared up overhearing the conversation. Andrew just did another thing to unlock another piece of her heart. Maybe Maggie and Jackson were right after all. She was sure now though, she loved this man. She wanted to tell him, but she didn’t know how. So she decided to wait until her friends had gone home and the kids were in bed to try and tell him about how she felt. Because he had already confessed his feelings, it was her turn now. She walked downstairs again, smiling from ear to ear.


	9. Chapter 9

Meredith had managed to get everyone out of her house, except for Andrew, at a decent time using one of her lamest excuses ever. Maggie and Jackson made eyes at her, already knowing what was about to happen. Alex was a little offended at first that he had to leave already, but after Jo whispered something in his ear he started smirking and was out the door a minute later. Meredith closed the door behind Amelia who was the last one to leave and on her way to the hospital for her shift. She walked past the living room and saw the kids attentively watching Frozen with a bowl of popcorn in front of them. When she walked in the kitchen and saw Andrew hunched over his phone at the kitchen island, she smiled.

“Alone at last.” She sighed contently, walking towards his inviting arms. He pulled her close and filled his nose with her scent.

“Meredith, I know I’ve said it a lot today, but thank you so much for inviting me over. This really means a lot to me.” he says, staring into her blue eyes and caressing her cheek with his thumb. She just looks at him, smiling widely. She leans in and presses a sweet kiss to his lips. She can feel him smiling into it, and she’s sure he can feel her smiling too.

“Andrew, I- thank you.” She mutters, kissing him again before he can make a confused face at her.

“By the way, how was your only-boys-allowed thing with Bailey earlier today? Did he ramble a lot? Because when Bailey is passionate about something, he can get really into it.” she chuckles.

“He was indeed passionate about it, but it was so cute to see how he was so excited about telling me everything he knew about his dinosaurs. Reminded me a lot of when I was his age, I was obsessed with dinosaurs too.” Andrew smiles, continuing to caress her cheek. He pulled her down so she was sitting on his lap sideways. She placed her arms around his neck so she could keep herself balanced but he protectively wrapped an arm around her waist, his hand resting on her thigh.

“Oh, really? I never would have thought you were a dinosaur kind of kid, I assumed you would have collected all kinds of cars and motorcycles!”

“Actually not. I started liking motorcycles when I was about 14. My mom’s new boyfriend had one and he would take me on rides through town. His was way bigger than mine though. I’m satisfied with mine.” Andrew said. Meredith tried to imagine what a 14 year old Andrew on a huge motorcycle looked like.

“I agree, yours is big and loud enough.” She said, her face turning more serious suddenly. Of course Andrew had noticed and tilted his head.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, running his hand over her back. Meredith looked at him and took a deep breath.

“Nothing, I just wouldn’t want anything to happen to you because of that motorcycle.” She said, making sure not to put it in a wrong way.

“Aww, you worry about me?” Andrew teased, trying to make her smile again instead of pout. Meredith rolled her eyes and gently slapped his chest, making him chuckle even louder.

“I do, actually, yes. Don’t blame me for it, it’s your own fault.”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault?” Andrew giggled.

“It is. Because you’ve slowly but surely been making your way into my life and you made me care about you. I care quite a bit about you and I don’t want to lose you again already. So please just stay alive bec-” Andrew interrupted her, seeing how tears were welling up in her eyes.

“Hey, Mer. I promise I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for you. Where is this coming from?” he asks, feeling very sorry for making her feel this sad all of a sudden.

“Because I catch myself needing and missing you more every day. And I think that I, uh-” Meredith got interrupted again, not by Andrew this time but by Ellis. Andrew was perplexed about what Meredith just told him. He couldn’t quite make out if she was trying to say the L-word, but she sure did unravel a whole new layer of her feelings to him.

“Mom! Andrew! Frozen is almost done, will you please come watch the end with us? We even left some popcorn for you!” Ellis almost begged, already tugging at Andrew’s sleeve. Meredith started smiling right away and looked at Andrew, who still looked a little concerned but nodded anyway.

“Of course, Elle-belle!” she hopped off of Andrew lap and took is hand in hers, pulling him towards the living room with her. Zola and Bailey turned their heads and gave each other a significant look before watching the movie again. Ellis joined them on the ground and handed the popcorn to Andrew.

“Thank you, Ellis!” he smiled, sitting down on the couch next to Meredith. He took a piece of popcorn and held it in front of Meredith’s mouth. When she wanted to bite it, he quickly pulled it away. He repeated the same action two more times and ended up getting slapped on his shoulder. Meredith secretly enjoyed his playfulness though, because she was shaking her head and rolling her eyes, but the smile on her lips gave her away. She grabbed the blanket and snuggled up to Andrew, covering them both with it. He rested his head against hers and took her hand in his, stroking his thumb over her palm. He tried paying attention to the movie, but the sight of Meredith snuggled up to his side and her three kids in front of them distracted him too much. Oh, how he loved this and could get used to this. This was all he ever wanted, and Meredith gave him so much more. He wanted to be with Meredith all the time now, and it seemed as if the kids were totally cool with him being there. He was brought back to reality by soft snoring sounds and the grip of her hand in his getting looser. He looked down to see Meredith fast asleep. This day must have been very exhausting for her. He couldn’t help but smile and pressed a kiss to her hairline and then slowly pulled the blanket even higher over her. Zola turned her head and looked at her sleeping mom and then at him. Andrew was relieved to see her smile widely at him, nodding her head and sticking her thumb up at him. Andrew smiled and gave her a wink. She turned around again to watch the end of the movie and he let out a deep breath, feeling better than ever.

The movie eventually ended and Meredith was bringing her kids to bed, it already being way past their bedtime. They all gathered on Zola’s bed to talk and laugh a little before bed. Ellis sat on Meredith’s lap while Bailey and Zola sat in front of her. Bailey was rambling over how he and Andrew had been playing with his dinosaurs. Ellis tried to cut him off and tell them about how she had tried to braid Andrew’s hair but Bailey was too persistent. Zola and Meredith looked at each other and started laughing.

“Mom, Bailey doesn’t let me tell my story!” Ellis pouted. Meredith ran a hand over her daughter’s hair.

“Let him tell his first, and when he’s done you can tell us, okay?” she said. Ellis looked up at her, still pouting but nodding anyway.

Meredith really enjoyed how her children were discussing the day, how many pancakes they ate, as if trying to turn it into a competition. She loved how they could be bickering at each other one moment, and being inseparable the next. When they all seemed finished talking, Meredith wanted to know how they really felt about Andrew spending the day with them.

“Okay sweeties, before you go night night mommy wants to ask you something. Remember when mommy told you that Andrew is my boyfriend?” All three of them nodded.

“And remember how I wanted you to tell me if you didn’t like him?” Again they all nodded.

“So tell me, what do you think of him? Because he is very important to me, but you guys are the most important to me and I want you all to be happy. And if one of you isn’t happy with him being here, I really want to know.” Three pairs of eyes studied her, expecting her to add something else but when Meredith remained silent, Bailey started.

“I like him!” he said, using his cheeriest voice. “I like him because he likes dinosaurs as much as I do and he said that he’ll play soccer with me one time! And his waffles were delicious too!” Meredith smiled as he rambled on about what he likes about Andrew.

“And what about you, Ellis?” she asks when Bailey is done talking. Ellis shifts a little in her lap and fumbles with her fingers. Meredith runs a hand over her back, trying to comfort her. This was not a reaction she was hoping for, and it’s making her very uncomfortable. She was so hyped up about him meeting her kids and she just got too comfortable with them being okay with him and now it might explode in her face right here and now.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asked Ellis, waiting for the other shoe to finally drop and for her dream to be crushed.

“I’m just sad that he didn’t get to dance with me…” she sighed. Meredith was sure that everyone could hear the wheels in her head spin. The other shoe hadn’t dropped, everything was just fine. When did she get so needy about him? Anyway, Zola still had to share her opinion, and Meredith literally expected anything, so she tried to not get too excited just yet.

“Aww Ellis, I’m sure Andrew will dance with you another time! He once told me that he really likes hiphop by the way.” Meredith saw Ellis’ face light up immediately.

“Really?! I love hiphop too! That’s so cool!” she exclaims. Meredith smiles and bends down to press a kiss on the beautiful blond hair of her youngest.

“Okay, Zozo. Your turn.” Bailey says, poking his sister gently on her arm.

“He really seems like a nice man to me. He was very kind to me and his jokes were really funny. I wouldn’t mind if he came around more. Really mommy, I like him just as you told me I would.” Meredith tried to contain her enthusiasm and just reached her arms out to hug all three of her kids at once. She could feel some tears well up in the corner of her eye, but she managed to keep them there because she didn’t want to confuse her kids with her crying after she just got a green light from them. They are her most important possession and to hear them say that they are totally okay with her having found a new love, it just made her mommy-heart burst with love. She hugged them even tighter before letting go.

“Thank you so much, sweeties. This really means a lot to me. I love you so much.”

“I love you too!” they said in unison.

“Alright, I think we’re ready for bed now, aren’t we Bailey?” Meredith chuckled seeing her son yawn widely. He nodded and got out of bed, crawling into his and pulling the covers up high. Meredith kissed each of her children goodnight and just as she was about to close the door, Zola asked one last thing.

“What was that, Zozo?” Meredith asked, opening the door a little.

“I was wondering if Andrew is staying the night? It would be fun to prepare breakfast with him tomorrow.” Meredith was happy that they accepted Andrew so easily and liked having him around often.

“I don’t know yet, but I will ask him in a moment, okay? I can’t promise anything yet, but maybe he’ll still be here when you wake up.”

“Okay!” Zola answered sleepily, already drifting off to sleep. Ellis and Bailey were already fast asleep. Meredith smiled and closed the door for real this time, tiptoeing down the hall and the stairs to go find out what her boyfriend is doing.

“Hey you!” Andrew smiled as Meredith entered the living room and joined him on the couch again. She was all over him in no time.

“Hi.” She smiled before leaning in and kissing him.

“What- was that- for?” Andrew asks in between kisses.

“I just felt like kissing you. And I want to thank you for today.” Meredith giggles.

“Well, you can kiss me anytime, Dr. Grey.” He smirks, pulling an eyebrow at her before leaning in to kiss her again. She laughs and gets off his lap to snuggle up to his side. They remained in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Meredith took a sip of her wine and started talking again.

“I talked to the kids.” She said, not meeting his gaze just yet. He looked down at her, tilting his head a little but kept his mouth shut. He felt like she wanted to add something. And she did. “We talked about you.”

She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked up at him. He had a soft look in his eyes, as if trying to encourage her to continue.

“Bailey told me about your little dinosaur party, he loved how you played with him. He felt a little sad that he didn’t get to play soccer with you today. So I told him that he could ask you to play soccer a next time.”

“Next time, huh?” Andrew smirked again. Meredith just rolled her eyes and continued.

“Ellis couldn’t stop talking about how she loves your shiny hair and how soft it looks…” Meredith says, running her fingers through his hair softly. Andrew’s eyes automatically close at the feeling. When she takes her fingers out, he sighs but opens his eyes again. “Oh! And I had to tell you that you have to come watch her hiphop class one time!”

“I’d love too.” Andrew smiles.

“And Zola, she kind of surprised me. I expected her to be neutral, but she told me that she likes you too. She specifically liked your jokes and she assured me that she would like it too if you came around more, so… Yeah…”

“So… Did I pass the ultimate boyfriend-test?” Andrew laughs.

“I guess you did!” Meredith sits up again and looks at him. He tries to read her expression but can’t quite make out what she’s thinking.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?” he asks, running his finger over her cheek.

“It’s just that, it’s not just me that you get in this relationship. I am a package, a big one, and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with any of it. I have three kids, a very big job and sometimes my house functions as a shelter to my sisters and friends. So if all of that is too much for you to handle, which I would totally understand, I want you to know that there’s still a way out for you. I don’t want you to feel trapped in here or something, I want you to feel happy and comfortable in any of your relationships so if you feel like I can’t give you that, I’ll understand. I didn’t have an easy live either, I’ve been through so much and my past happens to haunt me from time to time. My head has been screwed with in so many ways and I want you to know-” Andrew stops her by laying a finger on her lips. She looks a little startled at him.

“Mer, when I took you to that rooftop a couple of months ago, I realized by then what I was getting myself into. I knew about your kids, your big job and your sisters. I even knew some parts of your past. When we started dating, I got to know you even better and you made me fall for you a little more every day.” Andrew’s eyes scanned the room to see the pile of schoolbooks, backpacks, toys on the floor and the TV still playing the credits of Frozen. Meredith wanted to say something, but Andrew was first. “Meredith, I took you to that rooftop because I felt like I was ready for all of this. All of you. I want all of you because I- I love you.”

Andrew observed Meredith as she took in what he just said. She didn’t look too freaked out to him, but he couldn’t read her mind. She opened her mouth a few times to say something but closed it again right after. Andrew’s chest started to feel tight with anxiousness and he started regretting every word he has said. Maybe she wasn’t ready to hear all of this. Maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut and enjoy every moment he could spend with her instead of pushing her into something serious.

“Mer, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, I should have just waited for you to-”

“I love you too.” Meredith interrupted. She looked at him through her eyelashes and smiled shyly.

“What?” Andrew asked, confusion written all over his face. Meredith chuckled at his perplexed face but still repeated what she said.

“I said that I love you too, Andrew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The words are out! :3


	10. Chapter 10

Meredith could barely hold in her laughter at Andrew’s still puzzled face. He just stared at her with his mouth slightly opened and his pupils growing wider with every second.

“Andrew?” she giggled, waving her hand in front of his face. Andrew blinked a few times before wrapping his arms around her and leaned back in the couch. Meredith’s head rested on his chest and he breathed her in, followed by a satisfied sigh. Meredith’s corners of her lips crooked up as she heard his steady heartbeat. Andrew didn’t let go of her, and she tried to snuggle up to him even closer.

“You had me scared there for a minute.” Andrew whispered, not wanting to ruin their moment.

“I know, I’m sorry. It’s not that I didn’t see it coming because to be honest, I was going to tell you tonight either way, but it still hit me like a train that it’s been years since I last heard those words. It just hit me that this thing between us is serious, and that you’re in this as much as I am.” She explained, her head still resting on his chest. Andrew gently placed two fingers under her chin to make her look up at him. He wiped away some stray hairs out of her face before talking.

“Mer, you don’t have to apologize. I admire you so much for how you handle everything that’s crossed your path, and is going to. I am taking this very seriously. I’d do anything to see you smile the way I like it, because I love you.” He leaned in and met her halfway for a sweet, loving kiss. Meanwhile she was drawing small circles with her finger on his chest. After a little while she looked up at him again.

“Will you stay with me tonight? I don’t want you to leave right now. And I already kinda promised Zo that she could help you prepare breakfast tomorrow…” she smiles.

“Oh so you just want me to stay to prepare your breakfast?” Andrew says, his typical smirk appearing again. Oh how Meredith would kill to see that smirk of his.

“Not particularly…” Meredith answers, giving him a glance, hoping he’ll get the note. But of course he’s playing dump and making this into a game.

“Then why do you want me to stay?” he whispers, voice low and eyes seductive. He runs his thumb over Meredith’s cheekbone. She leans into his touch and closes her eyes for a second before getting off the couch and pulling him with her. “ _Seguimi_.”

Meredith led him upstairs to her bedroom. They giggled like teenagers as they stumbled up the stairs while trying to kiss each other. She opened the door and not a second after she closed it again after he entered, she was pinned against it. Andrew’s teeth nipped at her neck instantly. She closed her eyes and gasped as a slightly rough tongue licked her collarbone, her neck, and then slid into her mouth. She was so in the moment that she almost didn’t notice that Andrew was trying to undo her pants. When they fell to her ankles, Andrew released her and looked her up and down. Meredith felt her cheeks redden at his intense gaze while she kicked them off.

“Why are you staring like that?” she said, crossing one leg in front of the other.

“You’re so damn beautiful.” He whispered before pulling her in and walking over to the bed. He laid her down gently and pulled off his own shirt before hovering over her. Meredith’s eyes roamed over his broad chest and down to his abs before meeting his again. Andrew chuckled before leaning down and peck her on the lips. Meredith reached up and ran her hands over his torso.

“I’m not going to have sex with you tonight, Mer.” He said.

Meredith’s face turned into an irritating frown instantly.

“What do you mean?” she asked, getting more frustrated about how he got her horny like hell and now left her hanging.

“I’m not. Tonight, I am going to make love to you.” he whispered, brushing his nose on hers. Meredith sighed contently and grabbed his hair to pull him down. She couldn’t help the smile that appeared around her lips while kissing him. “Oh, Andrew…”

He took off her shirt and kissed his way up, starting above her belly button all the way to her mouth. He made sure to kiss the skin between her breasts a little longer and his ears filled with Meredith’s low moan as he pulled on her bra with his teeth and let it slap back onto her chest. Meredith ran her hands through his hair fiercely and pulled him back up to kiss him again. She really wanted to step up the game and wanted to use her tongue in the kiss, but Andrew stopped her by laying a finger on her lips.

“Nuh-uh, not yet.” he smirked. He pulled an eyebrow at her and chuckled at how Meredith squinted her eyes at him. He suddenly grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. Meredith felt the knot in her stomach tighten even more seeing how his pupils were getting dark.

“Don’t move.” He said in a low voice. Meredith gasped when he used one hand to lift her back while the other opened her bra. He let her down again gently and pulled the bra over her head off her arms. Meredith was squirming underneath him, having a very hard time to keep her body still. Andrew’s mouth was on her skin immediately. She watched as a head of dark brown hair painfully slowly moved its way lower. Andrew paused his track for a moment to lick one of her now hard nipples, and Meredith reached down to pull on his hair. Andrew looked up with a smirk and put her arm back in its place. “I said don’t move.”

Meredith sighed frustrated and felt Andrew’s grin against her breast. He continued snaking his way lower and lower until it was tracing the line of her hips. Andrew didn’t plan on giving in to her too easily, so instead he ran his tongue down her thigh. Meredith groaned and rolled her hips, feeling his evil chuckle against her skin. She felt like her mind could explode any minute now. This went so far beyond any of the fantasies she ever had, but she loved it. She loved how he was in control but still treated her very gently and lovingly. Maybe she even liked it a little how he was dominating her. She makes a whining sound when Andrew kisses her bundle of nerves through her black lace panties. She likes slow sex, but she is getting to the point that her whole body is on fire and she can feel how she’s getting a little sticky between her legs. Andrew must have felt it too as he tucks his finger under the line of her panties and pulls them off of her in one swift motion.

Meredith can feel his eyes burning on her, and she tries not to cover herself up. She bites her lip and Andrew senses her awkwardness so his face lingers over hers immediately. He smiles softly at her before pecking her lips and running a thumb over her cheek.

“Let me take care of you tonight, Mer.”

Meredith swallows thickly before giving him a slight nod. He winks at her and Meredith thinks he could send her over the edge already if he does that again. He doesn’t, and instead makes his way down again. He is kissing the skin of her thigh right above her knee and as he makes his way higher, Meredith automatically opens her legs a little wider. Andrew looked up at her with the pleasure he’s having in teasing her and all Meredith could do was bite her lips to try to keep herself from reaching down and pulling him on top of her and kiss him senseless. Andrew is inches away from her arousal and he can tell how wet and needy she is. He can almost tell what she is going to taste like. Meredith was just praying to whatever God is hearing her for him to hurry the fuck up. She hasn’t been touched down there like this in her life a lot. Derek was the only one who had done it a few times but he never finished her because he didn’t like it as much. She never blamed him for it, no one should ever do something they don’t want to during sex because it’s something so delicate and fragile. But Andrew seemed to like this a lot, so she could only be grateful for him giving her this kind of affection. She can’t help but arch her back when she feels his hot breath on her wet spot.

“Spread your legs a little more, _bella_.”

Meredith nods, her breath a bit uneven by now, as she does what she’s told. Andrew brings his hands up around the back of her thighs, rubbing gentle circles. Meredith feels his scruff against her thighs and pushed her legs against Andrew’s head. Andrew still can’t quite believe it himself that he is seeing Meredith Grey like this. He must be the luckiest man on earth. He glances up at her, nodding slightly and lowers his head again. He opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue, licking her all the way up.

“God!” Meredith shouts. She hisses while his tongues pleasures the small bundle of nerves at the top of her lady spot. Meredith’s mind is all fuzzy and she can’t even think straight anymore. She cries out his name as he applies more pressure with that gifted tongue of his. Meredith lifts her head and feels dizzy with pleasure to see him doing his thing to her while grinding his own arousal against the bed. It’s only then she realizes that he’s probably starting to be in pain as he’s still wearing his jeans. She wanted to say something, but her breath is knocked out of her body when she suddenly feels Andrew push a finger inside of her. She can’t take it anymore and brings her hands down to his head, pulling on his hair and scraping her fingernails over his neck. While Andrew is sucking and licking her most sensitive spot, he crooks his fingers forward inside her, searching for her hidden spot. Meredith bucks her hips up and is panting by now, still crying out his names and all kind of curse words in Italian.

Meredith’s fingers claw at the sheets as he adds one more finger. She can’t help but rock her hips forward to try and meet Andrew in his rhythm of pushing inside of her. Her head is thrown back against the pillow, her mouth wide open and she completely lost control over her breathing. Her eyes are shut in ecstasy, taking in all of the sensations. She can feel how she’s getting closer to the edge and by the way Andrew is now smirking up at her, he can probably feel her walls getting tighter around his fingers too.

“ _Sei così bello.”_ Andrew whispers before pressing a kiss on her bundle and pulling out his fingers. Meredith immediately whines at the empty feeling. Andrew crawls back on top of her and presses his slight swollen lips to hers. Meredith can taste a slight salty remaining layer on his lips and she licks it off eagerly.

“You taste good.” She smiles.

“Well, that’s actually you.” Andrew chuckles.

“I love you.” Meredith whispers, cupping his jaw and running her thumb along with it. “But now I want you to take off those jeans and finish what you started.”

Andrew smiled and lifted himself off the bed.

“Yes ma’am.” He smirks. Andrew gets off the bed to take off his pants and trunks. Meredith loves how his jeans are hanging low on his waist, showing a little bit of his black trunks. She bites her lip again when Andrew takes off his boxers and he’s now standing naked in front of her.

“What are you looking at?” he smirks. Meredith feels even more turned on by the sight of him, and an idea is forming in her head. So when Andrew lays on top of her again, nibbling on her neck, she catches him off guard and turns them around. Andrew looks puzzled at her, not quite understanding what’s happening.

“Do not move.” She says, copying him earlier. Andrew swallows roughly.

“Meredith…” he hissed when she pressed a kiss to his lower abdomen. “You really don’t have to.”

“You took care of me, so now I’m taking care of you.”

“I don’t expect anything in return, really.” He didn’t want Meredith to feel like she was obligated to return the favor. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Meredith glanced up with the cheekiest grin on her face.

“Oh, trust me. I’m not.” She smirks. She looks down and takes her sight in. She has had a few bed partners in her life, but Andrew must be one of the biggest she’s ever had. Andrew shifted his hips a little, the tension becoming unbearable for him. Glancing up at him one last time and seeing him staring at her with his eyes wide, she took him into her mouth all at once. She mentally cheered at his choked gasp. She rolled her tongue around the underside and rubbed her thumbs along the juncture of his hip and thigh. She got confidence out of the grunts coming from his mouth. She started working her lips and jaw in a rhythm and she heard of Andrew smashed his head into the pillow. Andrew cried out some things in Italian when she flicked her tongue over his tip and she could feel how his hand was laying on her head now, gently following her rhythm but making sure not to speed up her tempo. He winds a strand of hair around his finger while doing so. Meredith knows now that his tip is the most sensitive so when she swirls her tongue over it again, Andrew arches his back while grunting loudly.

She starts using her hand to rub him up and down while her tongue is working on his tip, and she can see his other hand go into a fist in the sheets. Andrew gathers enough strength again to prop himself up on his elbows and watch her working him. She glances up and sucks a little harder while locking eyes with him.

“Mer! Oh, Mer! You’re so hot!” he hisses. He lets himself fall back against the pillow again and when Meredith bobs her head down and takes him in whole, she can feel him thrust up in her mouth. She smiles around his erection, but Andrew is clearly feeling sorry.

“S-sorry… I didn’t realize al all that was coming!” he apologized, but got cut off by Meredith’s lips on his right after.

“Don’t apologize, I wanted you to relax and enjoy.” She says, leaning down and pressing a kiss on his lips with her swollen ones. Her jaw is feeling kind of sore already as it’s been ages since she’s pleased a man like this, but she welcomed the change happily. They kept kissing passionately while Andrew flipped them over again and placed himself against her entrance, slowly pressing in while biting down on her neck. Meredith whimpered as he filled her and clasped her arms around his neck. Andrew started moving slowly at first, but starting thrusting faster and harder with each movement.

“And.. Andrew… I won’t… last long…” she breathed, feeling her orgasm waiting to wash over her.

“Me neither…” Andrew replied, biting her earlobe while falling into a steady rhythm. Meredith bucked her hips up to meet his thrusts. It only took Andrew a few more deep ones to send her over the edge. She was screaming out his name, tugging on his hair like crazy while riding out her orgasm that seemed to go on for ages. The sight of her flexing and arching her body sent him over the edgo too, and he growled deeply as he filled her insides. Meredith felt his warm semen dripping out of her and looked at him while he was still coming down from his orgasm, eyes squint shut and mouth hanging open, whimpers coming out of it. When he was done he softly collapsed on top of her and let out a deep sigh.

“I think this was the best sex I’ve ever had…” he whispers, pressing a kiss below her earlobe.

“I agree.” Meredith smiled before bringing his face to hers and pressing a loving kiss to his lips. He gently rolled off of her and pulled the blankets over them. He rolled on his side and faced Meredith, who looked completely worn out.

“You’re amazing. I love you so much.” He said.

“You’re quite mind-blowing too, I love you too.” She said before leaning in and kiss him again. He rolled onto his back and pulled her closer to him. Her head was resting in the crook of his neck and their legs intertwined.

“Hey, uh, will you please stay here tonight? I want to cuddle you all night long.” Meredith said, running a finger over his arm.

“I’m not letting you out of my grip anytime soon, Mer.” He smiled before pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Good, because I might have promised Zola that you were going to make breakfast with her.” Meredith whispers.

“Only if I get to kiss you at work whenever I want to now.” he smirks. Meredith looks up at him and rolls her eyes playfully.

“Bailey and Webber don’t know yet.” she tries, knowing what his next answer is going to be already.

“They’ll find out soon enough then.” And with that, she presses one last kiss to his lips before allowing herself to drift off to sleep, peacefully and soundly in the arms of her second love of her life.


	11. Chapter 11

Meredith woke up first the morning after. She could feel Andrew’s arm loosely draped over her hip. They must have turned into a spooning position while sleeping because the last thing she remembers is that Andrew’s steady heartbeat numbed her to sleep as she laid with her head on his chest. She glances at her alarm clock on the bedside table. It’s 6:30AM so she’s got another 30 minutes before the kids would start to wake up. Her shift at the hospital didn’t start for another few hours and so did Andrew’s. Right as she wanted to turn around and face Andrew, he suddenly pulled her closer and snuggled his nose into her neck and pressed his chest against her back. She couldn’t help but smile and ran her hand over his arm a few times. When the grip loosened again, informing her that he had dozed off again, she turned around carefully so he wouldn’t wake up yet.

She loved everything she was seeing right now. First of all, Andrew has incredible bed hair. His hair is always perfectly held back in its usual shape. Now his hair was sticking out in every possible direction and it just looked so… fluffy? And maybe it was her fault a little too because she was tugging on it quite madly last night. She reached out to run her fingers through it but retracted herself, realizing that would probably wake him up already. His face was all relaxed. His mouth was hanging open a little and his cheeks grew rounder each time he breathed out. She loved all of his features. The few freckles across his nose, his perfect scruff, his soft, pink lips who were lightly smiling and the little dimple in his chin. She could watch him sleep so peacefully and soundly for an eternity. He just looked so happy and relaxed that she didn’t want to wake him. But she missed his voice and his eyes so now she allowed herself to run her hand through his soft curls. The second her hand touched his scalp, Andrew’s lips turned up to a smile even more. She leaned forward and pressed the softest kiss to his lips. He blinked a few times to get rid of his blurry sight and his face instantly lit up when he saw his girlfriend already looking at him.

“ _Buongiorno, amore mio.”_ He said with a raspy morning voice. He cupped her jaw and brushed his thumb over it.

“Goodmorning to you too.” Meredith chuckled. Her finger was making circles on his chest as they just looked at each other for a few minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet and eachothers company. Andrew was the first one to break the silence.

“So... uhm… how are we going to do this at work?” he says, clearing his throat nervously.

“I think by the time we get there half the hospital will know. I know my sisters, they’re going to spill to everyone on their path…” Meredith chuckles. Andrew looks a little less tense already at Meredith’s ease about it. She notices how he’s still a little worried.

“Hey. Don’t worry, nothing is going to change. There were rumors going around anyways. I’m sure even Bailey or Richard have heard them.” Andrew just looks at her, nodding softly.

“Does this mean I can’t scrub in on your surgeries anymore?” Andrew sighed.

“What? No, silly!” Meredith chuckles, poking his side. “But, it does mean we’ll have to try to be even more professional. No staring at work and all that… Let’s just take it slow, and we’ll go from there.”

Andrew smirks and wraps his arms around her to pull her on top of him before placing a loving kiss on her lips. He runs his hand through her hair when he brushes their noses together.

“See, _this_ can’t happen at work.” Meredith laughs, pecking him on the lips.

“Not even when we accidentally end up in the same on-call room together?” he smirks, and Meredith is happy to see him doing it again.

“Why would we end up in the same on-call room?” Meredith frowns sarcastically.

“Because… you won’t be able to resist me…” he says, leaning in to kiss her but turning his head right before their lips were touching. Meredith gasped and smacked him on the chest playfully.

“Oh, I see… You think you’re that irresistible, huh?” she chuckles. Andrew pulls her down again so he can reach her ear.

“I’ll make you beg like last night.” He whispers before nibbling softly on her earlobe. Meredith gasps again and is currently at a loss for words. Andrew knows and before she gets the chance to answer him, he flips them over and starts kissing her passionately. Meredith kisses him back just as hard and runs her hands through his hair fiercely. Andrew slips his hands under her shirt but before he can take it off, he hears a small voice out the door.

“Mommy? Are you awake?” Bailey asks. Andrew startles and rolls off of a chuckling Meredith again.

“Yes sweety, I’ll be downstairs right away!”

Meredith leans her head over Andrew and whispers something against his lips.

“I told you I have three kids.”

“And I told you I want all of it.” He smiles and kisses her lips, running his hand over her cheek before letting her get out of bed. Right before Meredith closes the door behind her, she turns her head and winks at Andrew. Andrew sighs and lets his head fall back against the pillow. She is absolutely incredible.

 

Meredith walked into the living room and found her two oldest children awake already.

“Is your sister still asleep?” she asks.

“Yes, she didn’t want to get up yet.” Zola answers.

Meredith smiles to herself. Another one of Derek’s traits that Ellis inherited. Derek hated getting up early, and so does Ellis.

“Did Andrew stay over for breakfast mommy? Because he’s not on our couch.” Bailey stated.

“He did Bailey, he slept in mommy’s bed tonight. He’ll be downstairs any minute.” Meredith answered honestly.

Bailey nodded enthusiastically.

Meredith ran her hand through his blonde locks and kissed Zola’s forehead before making her way over to the kitchen to gather some things Andrew would need for the pancakes. She was looking up a recipe on her phone when she felt two arms sneaking around her waist.

“I love how your cute neck shows when you’re wearing a messy bun.” Andrew whispered before plastering several kisses on her neck. Meredith giggled and lifted her shoulders, feeling goosebumps creeping up to her neck. Andrew is up for a battle and presses kisses on whatever parts of her neck he can reach while she’s squirming in his arms.

“Andrew…” Meredith giggles before turning around and grabbing his hands. “I’m going to wake up Ellis before Tanya gets here.”

Andrew grins and finally lets go of her. He can hear the stairs creaking above his head as he starts preparing his pancakes. Zola joins him a few minutes later and he loves how she’s so interested in learning his special recipe. They’re talking about Zola’s class and how she’d rather be in med school already because she wants to step into her father’s footsteps. Andrew isn’t bothered by it at all, he’s fascinated by how passionate she talks about him at her young age. He knows Zola isn’t comparing him to her father. Derek will always be her dad, and he respects that. He knows that Zola understands that he’s not here to take his place, and he knows that she likes him for who he is and that she accepts him. Because otherwise they wouldn’t be standing in the kitchen together, preparing an Italian pancake recipe while talking and laughing constantly.

Meredith walked into Ellis room and saw how she was still soundly sleeping. She sat down next to her and rubbed her back gently.

“Goodmorning, Elle belle…” Meredith whispered. Ellis stirred and started rubbing her eyes.

“Is Andrew still here?” she immediately asked. Meredith chuckled at the fact that Andrew was the first thing that popped into her mind right now. He must have made a really good impression yesterday.

“Let’s go and find out, shall we?” Meredith said, trying to get her youngest finally out of bed.

Ellis stood up and reached one arm out while the other was holding her stuffed toy. Meredith rested her on her hip and Ellis rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, trying to fight against the tiredness after waking up.

“Hmm, do you smell that Ellis?” Meredith said after taking in a deep sniff of the delicious scent.

“Pancakes!” Ellis exclaimed.

Ellis started bouncing on Meredith’s hip when she saw Andrew in the kitchen. Andrew turned around and smiled widely when he saw Ellis waving at him.

“Goodmorning Ellis!” he smiles, poking her in her side.

“Hi!” Ellis said, giggling and turning her head away from him. Meredith let her down and she immediately ran off to her siblings.

“She’s so freaking cute.” Andrew smiled as he watched her run off. “Just like her mother.”

Meredith snorts and swats him on the arm.

Not much later the pancakes are ready, and they’re all seated at the table munching on their them. The kids were completely silent, clearly enjoying their delicious breakfast.

“I’ve got to say, Andrew. I never get them this quiet when we’re eating breakfast. Your pancakes are amazing.” Meredith says before taking another bite. Andrew chuckles.

“Well, my cooking tends to be pretty amazing. You know, that’s what Italians do.”

“Do they?” Meredith laughs.

“We do. There’s plenty of other things we’re good at, by the way…” Andrew whispers. “I can show them to y-“ Meredith gives him a warning face that causes Andrew to chuckle. He loves teasing her.

“Shush!” she mouths, trying to keep a stern face but knowing that he’ll win anyways. Andrew smiles and leans in to peck her on the lips quickly.

“Eww!” Bailey groans while covering his eyes.

“Ugh, Bailey. You better get used to that.” Zola sighs annoyed, rolling her eyes at her brother.

“Yeah Bailey, mommy and Andrew like each other and that’s why they kiss!” Ellis says in her high pitched voice, mocking her brother.

“I am never going to kiss a girl! Girls are gross!” Bailey says.

“Mom! Bailey calls me gross!” Ellis whines.

“Alright kids, that’s enough for one morning. Go upstairs and brush your teeth, Tanya will be here soon to pick you up!” Meredith tells them. Zola grabs Ellis’ hand and leads her upstairs while Bailey slowly makes his way over to where his mother is sitting.

“Sorry, mommy…” he says, looking down at his feet.

“It’s okay, sweetie.” Meredith answers, bending down to kiss his hair. “Now go to your sisters and brush your teeth, alright?” Bailey nods quickly and heads upstairs as well. Meredith sighs and falls back against her chair when he’s out of sight. Andrew leans closer and hovers his face over hers.

“You sit back and relax, I’ll clean the table.” he whispers before pecking her lips again. He gets up and heads to the kitchen with his hands full of plates and forks.

“Andrew! Your phone is ringing!” Meredith calls. Andrew paces back to her and grabs his phone off the table.

“Crap! It’s the hospital. There’s been an accident and they’re expecting a lot of patients. Do you mind if I leave already?” he asks with his puppydog eyes.

“No, silly! You go already, I’ll be there too as soon as Tanya gets here.” She says, standing up to grab his jacket and his keys while he puts his shoes on. She opens the door for him when he’s finished and grabs him by the collar of his jacket.

“Promise me you’ll be careful, okay?” she whispers, resting her forehead against his.

Andrew puts his finger on her chin to lift her head up. He nods slowly before leaning down to catch her lips in a passionate kiss.

“I will. I love you.” he says before putting his helmet on and swinging his leg over his motorcycle.

“I love you too!” Meredith replies before he turns on his engine and races off. She feels a pull in her heart the minute he’s off her driveway. She’s still not that big of a fan of that motorcycle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry for the super late update. My writers block was very real and I haven't been in the right headspace for the last few weeks; On top of that I lost my grandmother last Wednesday to a brain bleed. They put her in a coma to reduce the swelling but she didn't survive... I'm sorry if this chapter isn't what you expected, but I promise to write better ones when I feel a little beter again. Lots of love


	12. Chapter 12

A few weeks had passed, and Meredith felt happier than she had been for a very long time. She was doing some new research with Bailey at work, her kids were happy and healthy but above all, Andrew had been perfect for her. The kids adored him too and Andrew made it very clear that he loved her three little ones as much as if they would have been his own. Every one of their colleagues in the hospital had been happy for her to be in a relationship again. Andrew and Meredith had been able to compose themselves at work, with only a few little slips when they both had a few free hours to spend. Andrew had spent most of the nights at her place. He had barely seen the inside of his apartment over the past weeks. The only reason why he went to his place anymore was to get fresh clothes. He told Meredith a few times that if she wanted a night alone she just had to ask but she refused to let him go, wanting him next to her as much as possible. The love she had developed for him made her emotional at times. When she would lie in bed alone because he had a late shift or his surgery was taking longer, she had enough time to think about the whole situation. About how grateful she feels that she got the chance to meet Andrew, to get a second chance in love and how thankful she was to herself for allowing herself to fall in love with him.

Andrew had spent the night yet again and she was currently curled into him. She loved spooning with him because when he draped his arm over her waist she felt very safe and protected. She could feel his warm breath blow on her exposed neck every few seconds. Her lips turned into a small smile when she inhaled deeply and exhaled happily. Today was Halloween and he was going to join her and the kids on their trick-or-treat adventure. The kids had picked an outfit for them. They were going dressed up as Aladdin and Jasmine from the movie. The kids were addicted to Aladdin at the moment, playing the movie twice a day at least. Meredith chuckled at the thought and she curled even more into Andrew if that was even possible, making Andrew stir. She could feel him stretching his body and yawning before hovering his face above hers and pressing a kiss to her cheek while brushing a stray lock of hair out of the way. Meredith’s smile grew even bigger.

“Goodmorning, _mi bella_.” He places some more kisses on her cheek before she turned her head to him.

“Goodmorning, _bello_.” She smiles before leaning in to kiss him properly. Her hand finds its way to Andrew’s curls and wraps them around her fingers. Andrew sighs happily against her lips. He breaks the kiss and studies her face. Meredith yawned while he kept staring at her.

“What is it?” she giggles, softly pushing against his shoulder.

“Nothing, I just think you’re really cute when you’re still sleepy.” Andrew smiles, making Meredith playfully roll her eyes at him.

“Yeah well, I didn’t quite get the chance to fall asleep early last night, did I?” she states. Andrew pulled an eyebrow and leaned in closer to her ear.

“I didn’t hear you complaining last night…” he groans, placing a kiss right below her earlobe. He can hear Meredith’s breath hitch but doesn’t get a chance to respond as a small voice calls for them from the other side of the door.

“Mommy? I join?” Ellis asks. Andrew turns his head to Meredith and chuckles when he sees her face.

“Timing…” she sighs while getting out of bed to open the door for her youngest. Andrew rolls back to his place and watches as Ellis tiptoes over to her mom’s side of the bed. Ellis reaches her arms out to Andrew, wanting to climb onto the bed with him.

“’Drew, help Ellis!” she whines. Andrew smiles and reaches over to help her in the bed. Once she’s on, she immediately crawls over to the middle and lays on her back, stretching out all of her limbs. Andrew lays his arm over her tummy and hears Meredith clear her throat.

“Hey! Andrew is mommy’s boyfriend, Ellis!” she says, putting her hands in her sides and pretending to be hurt. Ellis opens one eye and closes it again. Andrew knows he is going to be in trouble for this.

“’Drew is my boyfriend too!” Ellis snaps back. Meredith frowns at Andrew who is trying his hardest to not burst out in laughter. He pulls an eyebrow and receives a warning face from Meredith.

“Hey Ellis, your mommy is my girlfriend but I love you as well, is that okay?” he tries, mostly to keep the peace in the house this morning. Life with three women isn’t easy for him and Bailey. Ellis rolls her eyes and sighs.

“Fine.” Meredith’s mouth falls open with astonishment. Her daughter is never this arrogant. But soon Ellis’ mask falls off and she starts giggling while giving Meredith access to her bed. Ellis crawls into her as soon as Meredith lays down.

“You’re a little stinker.” Meredith smiles while smoothing her daughter’s hair. Andrew watches how Ellis slowly falls asleep again and carefully scoots a little closer to the two of them. He grabs Meredith’s free hand and runs his thumb over it slowly.

“I love you…” he whispers. He carefully leans in so he wouldn’t wake Ellis and places a kiss on Meredith’s lips. Meredith smiles widely at him and mouths an “I love you too” back to him. It doesn’t take them long to fall asleep as well, hands interlocked and little Ellis between them.

 

Meredith and Andrew both had the day off and found themselves a few hours later in the kitchen with the kids. Meredith was carving pumpkins with Zola while Andrew let Ellis and Bailey help him bake some cookies. Meredith had found some Halloween cookie cutters a few days ago and the two youngest were overly excited to use them. Ellis was currently pressing some pumpkins out of the dough while Bailey was helping Andrew making a new load. Amelia and Link were going to come over and Jo and Alex were coming too. Maggie was going to be there too, so they needed to hurry up and bake a lot more cookies.

“Andrew! Look, Ellis is eating the dough!” Bailey shouts, pointing at his little sister. Ellis startled and started crying. She put her arms up towards Andrew and he picked her up almost immediately. He rubbed her back and tried to sooth her.

“It’s okay, Ellis. Bailey was just worried because if you eat too much dough, your belly will hurt. He’s not angry with you, sweetie.” He said, putting his hand over her head as her sobs were softening. Meredith watched the scene and felt her heart flutter. Andrew was so good with her kids. He always knows what they need or what they want. And seeing him standing there with Ellis in his arms awakened a new feeling in her. One she isn’t quite ready for yet. She decides to let it go for now and gets up from her seat.

“Looks like someone needs a little nap, right baby?” she smiles while taking over Ellis. Ellis nods while rubbing her fists in her eyes. Andrew quickly takes off the cooking apron she was still wearing and smiles at the two of them while Meredith carries Ellis upstairs.

“I didn’t mean to scare her…” Bailey pouts, letting his head down. Andrew crouches down next to him and puts his hand on his shoulder.

“I know buddy, it’s okay. She was just a little tired. She will be just fine after her nap, allright?” he tries to lighten Bailey’s mood. Bailey’s pout turns into a smile and Andrew puts his hand up for a high five, which Bailey happily answers. When Meredith appears downstairs again she comes to stand next to Andrew who looks at her expectantly.

“Thank you.” she whispers before pecking his cheek and going back to pumpkin carving with Zola.

 

Meredith was finishing up Zola’s costume. She was dressed up as a cheerleader, so Meredith was braiding her hair in two long braids on each side of her head. Bailey was dressed up as a police officer and Ellis wanted to be Elsa for one evening really badly.

“I really like your costume mom! You look even prettier than the real princess Jasmine!” Zola says looking up at her mom.

“Thank you, Zozo! You look like a pretty cheerleader too!” she answers before planting a kiss on Zola’s forehead.

Meredith was just finishing Zola’s last braid as Andrew showed up in the doorway.

“Amelia and Link are he- wow, princess Jasmine! You look really… beautiful…” Andrew stutters, eyeing Meredith.

“I think I’m going to go downstairs already…” Zola chuckles before quickly sliding past Andrew and running downstairs to meet her auntie Amelia.

“You don’t look so bad yourself, thief.” Meredith giggles when Zola is out of sight.

“A thief that stole the heart of the Sultan…” Andrew states proudly while walking over to Meredith.

“I guess you’re right…” Meredith smiles while Andrew pulls her closer to her so their chests are touching.

“Mhm, I am.” Andrew whispers quietly catching her lips in a kiss. He deepens the kiss quickly by licking her bottom lip so Meredith opens her mouth. Meredith’s hands roam over Andrew’s almost bare chest and she almost crumbles to her feet by how muscled it is. Passion is overtaking the kiss and Meredith knows that they need to stop now before they start something they can’t finish. She lays her hand on Andrew’s chest and starts pushing him away, making Andrew groan.

“As much as I’d like to continue this,” Andrew doesn’t let her finish her sentence right away and kisses her again. “we should stop because our guests are here and the kids are waiting.”

Andrew lets go of her lips reluctantly and nods.

“You’re right.” He says, studying her lips. “But I really want to kiss you a little longer tonight.”

Meredith chuckles again.

“Deal.” She smiles before pecking Andrew on the lips again. She turns around and starts walking out of the bathroom but Andrew is fast enough to slap her bum softly. Meredith turns around and squeezes her eyes at him.

“Sorry, I couldn’t contain myself. Your ass looks so good in that costume.” He says while putting his hands in the air. They both continue to walk down the stairs laughing and giggling like lovedrunk teenagers.

When they reached the living room, Amelia and Jo start whistling at the couple but Meredith knows that Andrew being barely dressed probably has something to do with it.

“See that Alex? Maybe you should ask Andrew to train with you sometimes.” Jo purrs while playfully elbowing her husband who rolls his eyes at her.

“Wow Mer, I understand why you can’t keep quiet at night. I’d be screaming too if I had a man like that on top of me.” Amelia chuckles.

“Amelia!” Meredith warns her sister. She can hear Andrew chuckling behind her, he apparently doesn’t mind the attention he’s given.

“Oh okay, so you have complaints, then?” Link asks Amelia. Amelia’s face breaks into a smile as she pecks Link on his lips. “No I don’t, I was just kidding.”

“How about you?” Jackson playfully pulls an eyebrow at Maggie. She puts her hands in the air. “Oh, I’m fine!”

“Mommy, are we going yet?” Bailey asks approaching his mother. Meredith lays her hand on his shoulder.

“Yes baby, we’re leaving in a second.” She says, which seems to satisfy Bailey who happily runs off again.

 

When they came home from trick or treating, the kids immediately took place at the table. The table was filled with various snacks and appetizers and in the middle of the table stood a big pumpkin. Andrew had spent a whole day scraping out the pumpkin to make soup out of it, soup which he poured back into the pumpkin. Zola had helped him making it, but they wanted to make it a little magical for Bailey and Ellis.

“Hey kids, did you know that this pumpkin is special?” Andrew asks them. They both shake their heads but look at him with big eyes, their curious side triggered.

“Is it magical like Cinderella’s pumpkin?!” Ellis half shouts, making everybody laugh.

“Almost! This pumpkin is magical…” he lifts the lid he had cut into the pumpkin. “because it grows soup inside!”

“Wooow!” Bailey and Ellis say in unison, peeking inside the pumpkin. Meredith laughs and slowly shakes her head at Andrew, not believing that her kids really believed him. She could see the pride in his eyes.

“Cool right?! Do you want to taste?” Andrew asks them and they both quickly nod. When he sees the happy smiles on their faces when they taste it, he turns to Zola and high fives her.

“Good job, Zola!” he says. Zola happily pours a cup for herself and tastes it too.

“It’s delicious, Andrew! Thank you for learning me how to make it!” she smiles at him.

“You’re welcome, Zo.” Andrew answers, winking at her. He fills some more cups and hands them to everybody. After a few swigs, they all agree that it is in fact absolutely delicious. He walks over to Meredith and gives her a full cup. She doesn’t say anything but just smiles widely at him, losing herself in his eyes. He knows how she feels, and how thankful she is for everything he does, so he just nods and places a kiss on top of her head. Meredith sighs happily and leans her head against his shoulder, enjoying how her house is filled with family.

 

A few hours later they find themselves on her bed, on top of the sheets. They’re still dressed but are too cuddled up that neither of them feels the need to change already. Everyone had gone home and the kids went to bed not much later, all exhausted from the day.

“Today was fun.” Meredith smiles, looking at Andrew.

“Yes, it definitely was.” Andrew answers.

“Thank you for joining us, it wouldn’t have been the same without you there.” She whispers. Andrew chuckles and brushes a stray strand of hair back to its place.

“Stop thanking me, that’s what people do for the ones they love.” Andrew smiles before pecking her on the lips. Meredith opened her mouth again to say something again, but closed it when she saw the warning on Andrew’s face, not wanting her to thank him again for the umpteenth time.

“But,” she says, putting her finger up. “there is one thing that I want to show you.”

“Stay here.” She whispers to his lips, before placing a teasing kiss on his lips. Andrew’s face looks puzzled as he watches her disappear into the bathroom. Andrew quickly got up to get rid of his costume and stripped down to only his underwear before laying down under the sheets again. Not much later, the bathroom door opened again and Andrew swallowed hard when he saw Meredith coming out. Her hair was hanging loosely over her left shoulder and she had changed into a red, satin gown. It certainly doesn’t leave much to the imagination and Andrew could already feel the knot in his stomach tightening.

“You’re so freaking sexy…” he whispers while she climbs on the bed and sits down on top of him with her face to his and her legs on each side of his body. Meredith ignored his comment and started kissing his skin at the nape of his neck, making her way upwards. His hands had found their way to her thighs. The fabric crept up a little and from what he could see, she wasn’t wearing anything underneath the gown. Meredith looked down to his crotch and back up at him, grinning widely.

“Can I thank you like this?” she says seductively. Andrew swallows again and nods his head slowly. Meredith places a sloppy kiss on his lips before pulling down the sheets and planting kisses all over his body while making her way down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everybody for your patience with me, and thank you for your sweet and kind words. They really meant a lot to me. I was inspired to make this a Halloween chapter because of the promo pics of 16x06. Happy Grey's Day! x


	13. Chapter 13

Andrew opened the door to his apartment and was immediately met with a musty smell. He didn’t expect anything else since his apartment hadn’t been ventilated for almost 2 weeks because he was always at Meredith’s house. He had just finished a 12 hour shift and had only 5 hours until his next shift started, so he decided not to risk it to wake up Meredith or the kids since it was already 1 am. He had sent her a text so she wouldn’t have to be worried in the morning when his side on the bed was left untouched. He quickly turned up the heating because it was currently freezing in his apartment. He quickly set his alarm an half hour earlier so he could get a shower before going to work, and then jumped into his bed. His eyes were so heavy that from the moment his head touched his pillow, he immediately fell asleep.

 

Meredith groaned while grabbing towards the loud noise that was waking her. Once she grabbed her phone and turned the alarm off, she immediately saw the message of Andrew. She quickly glanced over her shoulder and noticed that he wasn’t there, so she opened the text.

 _Goodmorning, beautiful! My shift just ended and I have to be at the hospital again at 6am, so I’m crashing at my place. I wouldn’t want to risk it to wake the kids up way too early in the morning. I’ll see you later today, love you!_ – Andrew, 1:09 am

Meredith smiled at her phone, thinking how thoughtful it was of him to care so much about the kids’ night rest, but she couldn’t help but feel a little sad that he wasn’t there this night to snuggle up to. she quickly answered his text before getting out of bed to get the kids up and ready for the day.

 _Goodmorning! Thank you for being so thoughtful with the kids, but I did kinda miss you last night to keep me warm… You better make up for that later ;) see you in a bit, love you too!_ – Meredith, 06:45 am

 

“Mom, where is Andrew?” Bailey frowned when he was served a bowl of cornflakes.

“Yeah, he normally bakes pancakes for us in the morning!” Zola protested while stirred the milk in her bowl with her spoon.

“Sorry kids, no fancy breakfast today because Andrew needed to be at the hospital very early this morning.” Meredith chuckled, finding it amusing how her kids had gotten so used to Andrew always being there and baking them pancakes and other yummy stuff in the morning.

After a few more deep sighs from the kids, they finally started eating their breakfast. It took them a little longer than usual so Meredith had to rush them to brush their teeth and put on their shoes so they could hop in the car on time so they wouldn’t be late at school.

 

Andrew was just finishing up his morning rounds when he reached for his phone in his pocket and noticed the text of Meredith.

“Hey loverboy! Tell Grey we’re not done yet! And stop smiling at your phone like an idiot.” Jackson chuckled while patting Andrew’s shoulder playfully.

“Sorry!” Andrew smiled while quickly putting his phone back in his pocket and hobbling after Jackson.

After visiting the last patients room, Jackson gave Andrew a break because he didn’t have a surgery planned till this afternoon. Andrew took the opportunity to go to the skills lab to practice the stitch that leaves the least kind of noticeable scar. He was practicing for half an hour straight already before he got startled by a vibration in his pocket. He grabbed his phone and saw Meredith’s name pop up on the screen.

 _Where are you? I need to see you._ – Meredith, 10:23 am

 _Skills lab!_ – Andrew, 10:24 am

 

Meredith assigned a task to the annoying resident that she had on her service this week so she would finally be able to go see Andrew. When she was finally out of sight, Meredith turned around and headed to the skills lab. Jackson shot her a knowing grin when she passed him and she rolled her eyes at him, leaving him chuckling. When she arrived at skills lab, she could see Andrew sitting with his back to the window. She quickly slipped inside and Andrew turned around, his face immediately breaking into a smile when he saw her.

“Hey you!” he cheers. Meredith locks the door and Andrew starts grinning while walking towards her.

“Don’t!” Meredith chuckles while pointing her finger at him. Andrew just keeps smirking while coming closer and closer.

“I’ve missed you…” he whispers right before pulling her in for a kiss. Meredith lets out a deep sigh against his face while wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I missed you too, so much.” she says while pulling back smiling. “The kids did too, they were a little disappointed that I served them a bowl of cornflakes instead of a fancy pancake for breakfast.”

“Well, I did warn you…” Andrew smirks.

“Warn me for what?” Meredith frowns.

“That they might like me more than you.” Andrew says. He regrets his words immediately when Meredith playfully swats his chest.

“You’re really so full of yourself, huh?” She huffs, narrowing her eyes at him and quickly turns around with sass and heads for the door. She doesn’t try to actually get out though, because she knows Andrew wouldn’t let her. But she still wanted him to take the effort. So as she just laid her hand on the door handle to go out, Andrew’s arm wrapped around her middle and pulled her flushed against him.

“Were do you think you’re going?” he whispered in his low voice that made Meredith’s legs shake. Andrew pressed a few kisses on her neck and Meredith moaned as she threw her head back, letting it rest against Andrew’s chest. She could feel him smirking against her skin because of the extra exposed area he gained, he was certainly enjoying himself. His free hand reached out to let down the blinds while he used his other arm to pull Meredith even closer to him.

When Andrew pulled her closer again, she could feel something hard pushing against her lower back. It wasn’t very present yet, but she certainly noticed it. Now was her turn to tease him. When Andrew pulled the scrubs on her shoulder down a little and reached down to place a wet kiss on her skin there, she used the opportunity to snake one hand into his hair and pull on it slightly while pushing her middle into his crotch. She could feel Andrew’s hot breath on her shoulder as he groaned.

“Mer…” he breathed. Meredith just smirked and repeated her move. The next thing she knew was Andrew pinning her against the door. 

“If you did that one more time I would take you right here and now.” he breathed against her lips, leaning in for a passionate kiss. When he pulled back and looked at her, he saw a sparkle in her eyes and he already knew he would like what she was going to say.

“Do it.” she whispered, biting her lip seductively while pulling at his scrub pants with her thumbs. Andrew’s eyes darkened and while he pushed his pants down to his knees, Meredith did the same. Andrew picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist while leaning in again for another sloppy kiss. She loved the nights where Andrew took his time to please her the way she wants, and how they passionately made love all night long, but she had to admit that she kinda liked these dirty quickies too. Maybe it was the feeling of them risking to get caught at any moment that made her this horny, or maybe it was just Andrew’s way of seducing her, saying the right things at the right time.

Meredith whimpered against Andrew’s neck as he entered her slowly but steady. Just when he was picking up the pace, both their pagers went off.

“Oh, fuck this!” Meredith groaned while checking her pager. Andrew slowed down his movement and wanted to stop, but Meredith squeezed his firm behind and received a confused look from Andrew.

“You better be quicker than quick.” She said. Andrew smirked and pushed hard into her again.

“Whatever you want, Dr. Grey.” He whispered to her ear after a few thrusts, and Meredith almost immediately orgasmed after he said that. She could feel and hear Andrew finishing right after her. They shared a few more pecks on the lips and lovedrunk faces while getting dressed again and fixing their hair before opening the blinds and unlocking the door to run off to the ER.

 

When they arrive at the ER, they are immediately swallowed up by the chaos. Teenage girls and boys are scattered throughout the room.

“Grey! Deluca! A schoolbus has been in a crash with a truck. There are a lot of headwounds, but also some children who complain of abdominal pain. There’s one waiting for you over there Grey,” Hunt explains while pointing towards a bed with a patient on it who’s clearly in pain before continuing his speech. “and Deluca, since you’re on Avery’s service I’m giving you bed 3, a teenage girl with a head wound that needs stitches.”

While Meredith made her way over to her patient, she quickly shot a glance at bed 3, and saw a quite pretty teenage girl lying on the bed. She had a bandage around the top of her head and was surrounded by 3 of her friends who each had a band aid on their head. As soon as the girl on the bed spotted Andrew walking over to her, her face broke into a smile and she quickly tried straightening her clothes and fixed her hair a little. Meredith rolled her eyes and arrived at the bed of her own patient. She knows Andrew loves her and that he would never do anything to hurt her, but deep down she felt a little grudge against the girl.

“Hello, I am Dr. Deluca and I’m going to take care of this dirty wound over here today.” Andrew said friendly while pointing at the bandage on the girl’s head. “What’s your name?”

“Hi! I am Emily Davis, but you can just call me Emily.” The girl replied with a flirtatious smile while putting her hand on Andrew’s upper arm. Andrew nervously nodded and said “Yeah, let’s get started.”

 

Meredith called out to an intern standing a few feet away from her.

“Hey you! Can you please take Mr. Benetton up for a CT of his abdomen? Page me when the results are in.” The intern quickly nodded and took care of the patient. Meredith spotted Amelia by the nurses station and walked over to her.

“Wow, I can feel the anger radiating off of you! What’s wrong?” Amelia asked, not looking up from her tablet yet.

Meredith didn’t answer but kept eyeing Andrew and his patient. The girl was obviously flirting with him, and so were her friends. Andrew tried to be friendly by smiling at what she said and seemed to be in deep conversation with her. She was never jealous, she was self-assured enough to not get jealous of anyone. But this girl kept touching and looking at Andrew in ways that she didn’t quite like. It made something stir inside of her. Amelia finally looked up and followed Meredith’s gaze.

“Oh! I see what’s wrong!” she chuckled, receiving a death glare from Meredith. Amelia put her hands in the air.

“Don’t get mad at me! I’m not the girl flirting with your boyfriend.” she chuckles. Meredith’s heart rate sped up when Andrew bowed over the girl to get a better look at her head wound, but the look on the girl’s face made her anger ten times worse.

“Hey, calm down. It’s just a teenage girl, their hormones are 24/7 through the roof. Because let’s be honest, your boyfriend isn’t a pain to look at.” Amelia tried, with no success because Meredith balled a fist.

“Mer, Andrew loves you. To me it even looks like he feels a little uncomfortable with the girl looking at him like that. When he stitches that wound the girl can get out of here, and you’ll never have to see her again.” Amelia says while resting her hand on Meredith’s shoulder. The next thing happens so fast that Meredith almost can’t believe her eyes. The girl grabs Andrew by his coat and pulls him down and pecks him on the lips before he can pull away.

“Tell that idiot he’s sleeping on the couch tonight!” Meredith snorts at Amelia before she heads off.

 

Andrew quickly pulls away and straightens his coat while scanning the room around him. Emily’s friends are all giggling while holding their phones up at them.

“You are the rudest person I have ever met!” Andrew said at the girl in a very angry tone while pointing his finger at her. He turns around to her friends. “And you, stop filming and delete the video. Now!”

The girls are a little shocked by his sudden anger but immediately oblige.

“I’m going to stitch your head now, and you’re not going to say a word to me. When I’m done, you’re going to get off this bed and get out of here. Understood?”

Emily rolls her eyes but still nods while turning her head sideways so he can stitch it. Andrew sighs and starts disinfecting the area. When he’s finished suturing and placed a band aid on the spot, he says one last thing to Emily.

“Did you see that doctor next to me when I entered?” She nods. “That’s actually my girlfriend. So next time when you see a guy you like, maybe you should think your actions through first. Because maybe he may already be in love with someone and maybe doesn’t like being forced on by other women.” He sees all four of the girls swallowing hard. “I’m sorry. I thought it would be funny.” Emily apologized. “It wasn’t, now get out.” They nod again and turn around to walk over to their parents who had arrived by now to take them home.

Andrew walked to the nurses station and spotted Amelia.

“Where is she?” he asked when he couldn’t find Meredith.

“Don’t know, she ran off when that girl kissed you. She told me to tell you that you’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“What?!” Andrew exclaimed while grabbing his phone to text her.

 _Mer, let me explain. Please. –_ Andrew 12:54 pm

He didn’t wait for an answer but started searching the hallways for her. Then he thought back of their moment in the skills lab, she’s probably hiding over there. He quickened his pace and arrived at the skills lab shortly after, only to find it empty.

“There’s only one more place she can be.” He whispered to himself. He started running to the spot and almost bumped into a nurse on his way. When the elevators opened and he felt the cold wind on his skin, he finally saw her looking down over the rooftop.

“Mer…” he sighed while walking over to her. The icy cold wind sent shivers down his spine. Meredith turned her head to look at him and Andrew noticed her red, puffy eyes. He hated Emily for making his girlfriend cry.

“Go away, your patient probably needs you.” she huffs while wiping her nose and turning her head again.

Andrew sighs again while taking a few more steps towards her. He saw her shivering from the cold and wanted to embrace her to make her warm, but he knew that she wouldn’t let him at this moment.

“Hear me out, okay?” he asks, but proceeds anyways when she doesn’t respond. “When I bowed over her to take a closer look at her head wound, she pulled me down by my lab coat. She made me lose my balance so I couldn’t try to stand up straight even though I really wanted to. I didn’t kiss her, Mer. She kissed me and I immediately pulled away. I reprimanded her and she stayed silent the whole time.”

Meredith slowly turns around again but still looks a little angry. Andrew takes a few more steps forward. He can almost touch her, but not just yet.

“You should have seen her face in the end when I told her you are my girlfriend. I thought her jaw would cramp because of how wide she opened her mouth.” He smiles. Meredith chuckles and shivers again.

“Come here, Mer! You’re freezing!” Andrew says while opening his arms. Much to his pleasure she accepted the offer and stumbles forward into his arms. He hugged her very tightly and breathed in the scent of her hair.

“I was just afraid that, you know, that girl might let you change your mind about dating me because she was so pretty and so much younger than me.” Meredith rambles against his chest. Andrew pulls her even closer before he starts talking again.

“I love you, Meredith. I don’t want anybody else, I only love and want you.” he says, using his hand to lift up her chin so he can place a kiss against her forehead.

“Are you sure?” she asks while slightly smiling and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Oh, I am sure.” Andrew chuckles before leaning in to place a long kiss on her lips.

“So, do I have to sleep on the couch tonight?” he tries. Meredith looks up and starts chuckling.

“No, you can sleep in my bed to keep me warm.” She says while sticking out her tongue.

“I love you.” he smiles.

“I love you too.” She answers before leaning in to kiss him. But when she shivers again, Andrew breaks the kiss and starts pulling her towards the elevator.

“Come on, let’s get you inside before you get sick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda wanted to play with the idea of a jealous Meredith. I'm not sure if I like the way it turned out but it's the best I could bring myself to do right now :) Hope you enjoy it!


	14. Chapter 14

Tonight was New Year’s Eve and Andrew was going to spend it with Meredith and her kids and some of her friends and family. He was closing up their patient after one of the hardest surgeries he had assisted on. The patient had multiple complications and the surgery took two hours longer than planned, but they managed to save their patients life.  His phone started vibrating in his pocket and Maggie noticed his uncomfortable shifting.

“Deluca? Do you need to pee or something?” she asked.

“No, it’s probably Dr. Grey. She’s probably wondering what’s taking us so long.” He asks. Maggie hears the worried tone in his voice.

“The worst surgeries always come with the worst timing. Meredith knows that too. I’m sure she’ll understand that when you call her back.”

“Yeah, you’re right... And voila!” he says as he cuts off his last suture and throws his hands in the air. “Our last surgery of 2019!”

“Good job, Deluca! Now let’s get this patient comfortable in his room so we can get out of here!”

 

Andrew and Maggie informed the nurses and interns on call about their patient and his post op care and were heading for their lounges to change themselves into some normal clothes.

“Do you want to ride with me, Andrew? I saw you arriving with Meredith this morning so I take it your motorcycle is still at her place?” she offers.

“I’d love that, thank you!”

“Alright, see you at my car in 5!”

Andrew quickly opens the residents’ lounge and grabs his phone to call Meredith. He puts it on speaker so he can change at the same time.

_“Andrew! Finally!”_

“Hey! I’m sorry, our patient got so many complications at one point that it took us two hours to get it under control again.”

_“Ugh, surgeries like that always happen at the worst times. Is the patient okay?”_

“Yeah, he’ll be watching the fireworks from his hospital bed tonight.” He can hear Meredith chuckling.

 “Hey, I’m going to catch a ride with Maggie to your place and we’re leaving in a few minutes so I think we will be there in 25 minutes, okay?”

_“I can’t wait to see you!”_

“Love you.”

_“Love you too.”_

 

Meredith puts her phone down and grabs the little box she kept in the bathroom closet. It’s a black bow with a large golden bow on top of it. She opens it and smiles at what’s inside. She closes it again because she has only a little of time left before Andrew and Maggie get home. She runs downstairs and walks up to the kids with the box behind her back.

“Hey guys, I want to show you something.” Three curious pairs of eyes are trained on her now.

“What are you hiding behind your back mommy?” Bailey says while trying to peek behind her back.

“Yeah mommy, do you have a surprise?” Ellis half shouts.

“Actually, this is a present for Andrew but I’m only going to give it to him if you guys are okay with it.” Now all three of her kids are frowning at her. Alex and Jo who were in the kitchen now also joined them with an even more confused look.

Meredith slowly opened the box and revealed the little thing inside.

“A key?” Bailey asks while tilting his head sideways.

“Oh!” Jo exclaims while grinning widely.

“About time!” Alex smiles while nodding approvingly.

“This is not just a key, Bailey. It is a key to our house, but also to our hearts. I want to give it to Andrew because I he has been so good to us for the past year and because he loves us all very much. And right now Andrew still has his own home to live in but I think you guys would like it as much as I would to have him here all the time, right? If we give him this key he can spend every day with us and he would never have to go away again, but only if you guys want that too.”

“Yaay! Then he can make me princess pancakes every morning!” Ellis yells excitedly.

“And we can play soccer every day when he lives here!” Bailey shouts.

“And I can read my favorite parts of my books to him every night!” Zola smiles.

“Alrighty then, I’ll give it to him tonight. All he has to do is say yes!” Meredith smiles while embracing her kids. “I love you, my babies.”

“We love you too!” they shout.

“But!” Meredith suddenly says while pointing her finger to the sky, “nobody can tell Andrew about the present, okay? It’s our little secret! He will find out when he opens the box, alright?”

Zola, Bailey and Ellis all nod their heads vigorously and hug their mother again.

 

When Maggie and Andrew finally arrive at Meredith’s place, they are immediately met by cheerful voices.

“Drew’s home!” Ellis yells while pulling on his jacket so he will pick her up.

“Hey princess! How was your day?” Andrew smiles while giving in and putting her on his hip.

While Ellis starts rambling about her day, Meredith walks up to the two of them and stands on her tiptoes to press a kiss on Andrew’s lips.

“Hello to you too.” He grins. Meredith winks at him and grabs Ellis’ hand to guide her away from Andrew so he can go and freshen up a little before the party can start.

 

When he comes downstairs again he spots Meredith in the kitchen. She’s trying to grab something from one of the top shelves but can’t quite reach it, causing her shirt to creep up a little. Andrew chuckles and sneaks up behind her. When he puts his hands on her sides, Meredith yelps.

“Ahhh!” She turns around and swats his hands away. “Andrew! You scared me!”

Meredith tries to look upset, but can’t hide the smile that’s growing on her face.

“Sorry. You just looked so cute when you tried to reach that shelf. Besides, I haven’t seen you all day.” He apologizes as he lays his hands on her sides again, her allowing him this time. Meredith gives up on trying to look upset and wraps her arms around Andrew’s neck before pulling him down to kiss him passionately.

“Mmm, what was that for?” Andrew whispers after licking his lip and tasting the subtle hint of a sweet red wine.

“Like you said, I haven’t seen you all day. And… I’ve missed you…” she looks up at him through her lashes and bites her bottom lip, something she knows that drives Andrew crazy. And by the look in his eyes, that’s exactly what’s happening now.

“You are so lucky that we’re not alone right now…” he groans.

“I can’t wait to have you all to myself.” She smirks before being pulled in again for another kiss.

 

“30 minutes to go, guys!” Maggie says while looking for the countdown program on ABC. It’s a live stream from an open place with a lot of people waiting to count down together and watch the fireworks.

“Yay! I can’t wait to watch the fireworks!” Bailey says.

“Me too…” Ellis says while holding back a yawn.

“Hey Elle belle, do you want to sleep a little before the fireworks start? I can wake you up in time.” Meredith tries, knowing she wouldn’t agree.

“No! I’m not a baby anymore!” She argues while holding back another yawn.

“Okay, alright!”

“Hey Ellis, why don’t you come and look at the confetti and balloons I got? Maybe we can blow up some of the balloons and let them go up in the sky at 12am!” Jo smiles.

All three of the kids come running to her to choose which balloon they want to blow up. Andrew joins them to help tie the balloons once they’re full of air. Meredith watches the scene in awe when Alex walks up to her.

“I’m so happy for you, Mer.” He starts. Meredith turns to look at him and can’t hide the warm feeling in her heart to hear those words from him.

“Thank you, Alex. I can’t believe it’s almost been a year!”

“You should indeed thank me and Jo. If it wouldn’t have been for our wedding, you and him would probably still just be colleagues to eachother.” Alex says while proudly putting his hands in his side.

“Oh don’t you give yourself all the credit!” Meredith chuckles.

“Hey, it is true though!”

“Yeah yeah, whatever.”

“You’ve got 25 minutes left before 2020 arrives, are you planning on waiting till the new year to give him the key or?” Alex says, giving her a encouraging look. Meredith looks at him and lets out a sigh.

“What if he says no?”

“Meredith, please. That dude is head over heels in love with you, he would never say no!”

Meredith sighs again and Alex gives her an elbow while nodding his head to Andrew.

“Okay okay!”

 

“Hey, can I borrow you for a minute?” Meredith whispers into Andrew’s ear who’s still sitting at the table with the kids and Maggie. Andrew turns his head and smirks at her.

“Anytime.” He whispers back before standing up and taking Meredith’s outreached hand.

“Guys, I need to talk to Andrew for a second but we will be right back before the fireworks!” Meredith tells her kids.

Zola, knowing what’s about to happen, gives her mom a knowing look.

“Okay mommy!” Bailey smiles.

As they walk up the stairs, Meredith hears her kids whispering.

“Is she going to give him the present?” Bailey asks.

“I think so!” Zola answers.

“I hope he says yes!” Ellis whispers loudly.

When they walk in her bedroom, Meredith sits down on the bed and pats the free spot next to her.

“Sit with me.” she smiles. Andrew suddenly feels a little nervous and swallows hard.

“You’re scaring me. Is everything alright?” He slowly walks over to her and sits down next to her.

“I have a little something for you that I want to give to you before the new year starts.” She says. Andrew watches closely as she opens the top drawer of her bedside table and takes out a little box. His breath catches in his throat when she looks at him. She hands it over to him and lays her hand on top of it to prevent him from opening it already.

“This is our first New Year’s Eve together and almost our one year anniversary and I hope there will be many more. During this year we’ve had some difficulties we had to handle and struggle through, but we always made it to the other side. You have been a massive part of the kids’ lives this year. They really love you.” Meredith sees the tears forming in his eyes while he softly squeezes her hand. “And so do I. I never thought I would feel this kind of love again for someone other than my kids or family but then you kissed me on that rooftop. You were always there for me when I needed you, on good and bad days. So I want to give you this thing in the box to show you how thankful I really am, to show you how much I really love you.”

Andrew quickly wipes away a tear before leaning in and pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. He can feel Meredith smiling against his lips.

“You haven’t even opened it yet!” she giggles.

“I know, I just wanted to kiss you already because that was the most beautiful thing someone ever said to me.” Andrew says while wiping away another tear that was about to fall.

Meredith removes her hand from his so he can open the box. He looks at her and when she nods, his fingers start untying the ribbon. He’s still feeling a little nervous which make his fingers a little shaky. As he lifts the lid, he sees the shiny silver thing lying on some tissues. Again he swallows hard before taking the key out with his shaky fingers. He holds it up in front of him, studying the little keychain of the Italian flag hanging on it. When he doesn’t say something for another moment, Meredith pokes his side.

“Do you want to move in with us?” She can tell how Andrew relaxes by hearing her say it. He turns his head and Meredith spots a tear rolling down his cheek right before he smashes his lips onto hers. He doesn’t pull back for another moment, but instead pulls her on his lap so he can bring her closer to him. His kiss is sweet but urgent. He is kissing her with all the love and emotions he has inside of him, and she can feel what this means to him. She’s guessing that this is a yes, but she still wants to hear it from his mouth. So after a few more seconds she pulls back, much to his will. Meredith holds back a laugh at the sight of his pouted lips.

“Is that a yes?” she asks while stroking his cheek with her thumb.

“Off course! I would love to move in with you!” he stares at her for a second before adding “I love you so so so much! _Grazie._ ”

“I love you too!” she chuckles while being pulled in again for another kiss.

“You have no idea how much this means to me.” Andrew smiles while holding the key in his hand. “Wait. Are your kids okay with me moving in?”

“They are. They were very happy and excited when I asked them this morning.” Meredith smiles. Andrew just looks at her and lets out a happy sigh before pulling her in for a long hug. “I will miss our private moments in your apartment though. It was like our little save haven. We have so many memories there.”

“I know. But we will make plenty of new ones here! And trust me, I will make sure you’ll never forget the times we had in my apartment.”

“Let’s go tell them, shall we?” Meredith asked while sticking her hand out to him again. He happily complied and followed her down the stairs, holding the key tightly in his other hand. He truly feels like the luckiest man in the world.

 

With 10 minutes left of               2019, they head into the living room to tell the kids the good news. 6 pairs of eyes are trained on them as soon as they enter.

“And?” Zola asks.

Andrew holds his key up and three small voices break out in cheers.

“Yaaay!” Ellis shouts while running over to him, followed by her older sibling. Andrew crouches down and holds his arms open, ready to catch them. Meredith’s face breaks out into a huge smile as she watches Andrew almost being crushed.

“Thank you guys so much for this!” Andrew smiles at them.

“You’re welcome!” Bailey smiles back. “Now we can play together even more!”

“Heck yeah we can buddy!” Andrew laughs while high fiving Bailey.

“Do you like the keychain? I saw it when I went shopping with mommy a few days ago and I immediately thought of you.” Zola says.

“I love it, Zola. Thank you. It reminds me of my father and my childhood.”

“Will you stay here forever now?” Ellis asks.

“Yeah, can he, mommy?” Bailey joins in with his sister. They look at her with their puppydog eyes.

“Of course, that’s why he’s got a key to our house now! This is his new home now.”

Andres stands back up again and presses a quick kiss to her lips.

“Thank you.” he whispers.

“Eww!” Bailey groans.

“You should get used to that bud, you’ll see that quite often now.” Alex laughs and pats Bailey’s shoulder. Bailey just rolls his eyes in response, still convinced that kissing is disgusting.

“Congrats, guys! I’m so happy for you!” Maggie smiles and hugs both of them, followed by Jo.

 

“One more minute guys! Let’s go outside!” Meredith says. They’re all lined up on the driveway, waiting for the countdown. All the neighbors from the street are looking up at the sky too.

“Drew, can I sit in your neck?” Ellis asks in her sweetest voice.

Andrew bends down and puts her in his neck.

“15 seconds!” Jo yells.

Meredith quickly grabs Andrew’s hand and intertwines their fingers.

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,” Andrew turns his face to look Meredith right in the eyes. “3…2…1…”

“Happy newyear!” Meredith whispers while leaning in.

“ _Felice anno nuovo!”_ Their lips finally meet, and it feels as if he’s kissing her for the first time. The fireworks are popping in the sky and Ellis is shouting in excitement, but all of that is numbed right now. The only thing that he’s aware of right now are the lips of the woman he loves and her hand in his. He can’t wait to find out what this year holds for him and his new family.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my 2nd fanfiction I've ever written. Also English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry for any grammatical mistakes. Thank you for reading!


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